--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Content is an obstacle to the exercise of…" description: "\"Content is an obstacle to the exercise of power.\" — John Ralston Saul" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/john-ralston-saul-3128_adversity_content-is-an-obstacle-to-the-exercise-o_2033269.jpg" --- # Content is an obstacle to the exercise of power. ![“Content is an obstacle to the exercise of power.” quote by John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/john-ralston-saul-3128_adversity_content-is-an-obstacle-to-the-exercise-o_2033269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/john-ralston-saul-3128_adversity_content-is-an-obstacle-to-the-exercise-o_2033269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/john-ralston-saul-3128_adversity_content-is-an-obstacle-to-the-exercise-o_2033269.jpg) > “Content is an obstacle to the exercise of power.” [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power thrives when obstacles are removed; content can hinder authority. **In simple terms:** Content blocks power. Key Takeaway Identify and remove barriers to influence. Themes politics authority obstacles Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - policy making - media strategy Key Concepts social control information flow Questions to Reflect On - What content could empower or undermine authority? - How do you manage obstacles to influence? A Different Perspective Even without content, power may be limited by other factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Obstacle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacle/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Intelligence is not all that important in the exercise of power, and is often, in point of fact, useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/intelligence-is-not-all-that-important-in-the-exercise-of-power-and/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-attempt-to-exercise-power-or-control-over-someone-else-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human beings will generally exercise power when they can get it, and they will exercise it most undoubtedly in popular governments under pretense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/human-beings-will-generally-exercise-power-when-they-can-get-it-and/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [To enable men to exercise that power is the object of protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-charles-carey/to-enable-men-to-exercise-that-power-is-the-object-of-protection/) [Henry Charles Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-charles-carey/) > [“An exercise in power should never be merely and indulgence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-vucak/an-exercise-in-power-should-never-be-merely-and-indulgence/) Stefan Vucak > [“equal, hierarchical, or unrelated? These relationships also define the exercise of power as a collective act. A psychological”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/equal-hierarchical-or-unrelated-these-relationships-also-define-the/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [Of all the forms of exercise that I have done, Power Plate® training is the most concise. If I start my session at 9.30am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/of-all-the-forms-of-exercise-that-i-have-done-power-plate-training-is/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [The practice of leadership is not the same as the exercise of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/the-practice-of-leadership-is-not-the-same-as-the-exercise-of-power/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [“By what right do men exercise power over each other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/by-what-right-do-men-exercise-power-over-each-other/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [The exercise of true leadership is inversely proportional to the exercise of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-exercise-of-true-leadership-is-inversely-proportional-to-the/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [When you exercise your will power you release the power of life energy - not when you merely wish passively to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/when-you-exercise-your-will-power-you-release-the-power-of-life/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/the-exercise-of-power-is-determined-by-thousands-of-interactions/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [The exercise of power in this century has meant for all of us in the United States not arrogance, but agony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/the-exercise-of-power-in-this-century-has-meant-for-all-of-us-in-the/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [That all may be so, but when I begin to exercise that power I am not conscious of the power, but only of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/that-all-may-be-so-but-when-i-begin-to-exercise-that-power-i-am-not/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) ## More by John Ralston Saul > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Some people don't like the 'comeback' because that suggests they went somewhere, which they didn't. That isn't what I mean. 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But to treat it as anything more than that is to lock students into technology that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/basic-technical-training-is-of-course-useful-but-to-treat-it-as/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Bankers - pillars of society who are going to hell if there is a God and He has been accurately quoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/bankers-pillars-of-society-who-are-going-to-hell-if-there-is-a-god/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [If allowed to run free of the social system, capitalism will attempt to corrupt and undermine democracy, which is after all not a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/if-allowed-to-run-free-of-the-social-system-capitalism-will-attempt/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [For about 125 years, give or take, the Canadian government has acted extremely badly - even in a way which should be called evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/for-about-125-years-give-or-take-the-canadian-government-has-acted/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Ten geographers who think the world is flat will tend to reinforce each other's errors ... Only a sailor can set them straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/ten-geographers-who-think-the-world-is-flat-will-tend-to-reinforce/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) [Explore all 139 John Ralston Saul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. 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Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) S.E. 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