--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Something that has so much power must…" description: "\"Something that has so much power must have life. Instruments have life.\" — Laurie Anderson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/laurie-anderson-3908_instruments_something-that-has-so-much-power-must-ha_263352.png" --- # Something that has so much power must have life… ![“Something that has so much power must have life. Instruments have life.” quote by Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/laurie-anderson-3908_instruments_something-that-has-so-much-power-must-ha_263352.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/laurie-anderson-3908_instruments_something-that-has-so-much-power-must-ha_263352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/laurie-anderson-3908_instruments_something-that-has-so-much-power-must-ha_263352.png) > “Something that has so much power must have life. Instruments have life.” [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful objects are imbued with agency, suggesting they possess a form of life akin to living beings. **In simple terms:** Objects can seem alive when they hold power. Key Takeaway Recognize agency in tools and technology. Themes technology agency perception art philosophy Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - creative work - musical performance - technology design - environmental interaction Key Concepts Animism instrumental agency Questions to Reflect On - How does attributing life to objects affect our responsibility? - When does agency become a metaphor? A Different Perspective Power can be misleading; objects may not truly possess life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Instruments Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments-life-2589731/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-instruments-2589732/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-life-242348/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Happiness is an inside job. Don't assign anyone else that much power over your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-an-inside-job-don-t-assign-anyone-else-that-much-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I can't take anything you don't give me. Stop giving me power over your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-m-cameron/i-can-t-take-anything-you-don-t-give-me-stop-giving-me-power-over/) [Chelsea M. Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-m-cameron/) > [Why should I give someone else such power over my life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/why-should-i-give-someone-else-such-power-over-my-life/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/never-underestimate-the-power-you-have-to-take-your-life-in-a-new/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Vis in magia, in vita vi.” In magic there is power, and in power, life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-spooner/vis-in-magia-in-vita-vi-in-magic-there-is-power-and-in-power-life/) [Meagan Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meagan-spooner/) > [The tongue has the power of life and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon/the-tongue-has-the-power-of-life-and-death/) [Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon/) > [It's not going to be easy. It's the earth. What creates power in your life is when you perfect your mind, your career, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-not-going-to-be-easy-it-s-the-earth-what-creates-power-in-your/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-can-add-more-power-to-your-life-than-concentrating-all-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think there's anyone who would say they don't want or need more of God's power in their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-don-t-think-there-s-anyone-who-would-say-they-don-t-want-or-need/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Our real power in life comes from our true thinking!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/our-real-power-in-life-comes-from-our-true-thinking/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [It is necessary to bring our life in order, to examine each thing, and ask ourselves if it is bringing power into our life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-necessary-to-bring-our-life-in-order-to-examine-each-thing-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“You only confuse hope with power once in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-fabiaschi/you-only-confuse-hope-with-power-once-in-life/) [Abby Fabiaschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-fabiaschi/) > [The power of life & death is in your tounge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-power-of-life-death-is-in-your-tounge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The power of the heart is the power of Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-power-of-the-heart-is-the-power-of-life/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) ## More by Laurie Anderson > [Being an artist is a totally godlike thing to do - and I have a god complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/being-an-artist-is-a-totally-godlike-thing-to-do-and-i-have-a-god/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [It's the tradition of American writers getting away in order to see the country - to get a better view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/it-s-the-tradition-of-american-writers-getting-away-in-order-to-see/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [The best thing about the term 'performance artist' is that it includes just about everything you might want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/the-best-thing-about-the-term-performance-artist-is-that-it-includes/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [If I'm confused, I just spend some time looking at the sky and falling into it. It's not a meditation that anyone taught me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/if-i-m-confused-i-just-spend-some-time-looking-at-the-sky-and-falling/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I think a lot of people in Washington are extremely suspicious of NASA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-think-a-lot-of-people-in-washington-are-extremely-suspicious-of-nasa/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [And there was a beutiful view But nobody could see Cause everybody on the island Was saying Look at me! Look at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/and-there-was-a-beutiful-view-but-nobody-could-see-cause-everybody-on/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I think artists who are attracted to working on the Net will adjust their work to the capabilities of a very small screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-think-artists-who-are-attracted-to-working-on-the-net-will-adjust/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [Dogs don't just like us, they love us, and they admire us. The big reason they admire us is we invented cars. They're like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/dogs-don-t-just-like-us-they-love-us-and-they-admire-us-the-big/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [Paradise Is exactly like Where you are right now Only much much Better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/paradise-is-exactly-like-where-you-are-right-now-only-much-much-better/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [A lot of the work in United States is highly critical of technology. I'm using 15,000 watts of power and 18 different pieces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/a-lot-of-the-work-in-united-states-is-highly-critical-of-technology-i/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [Books are the way the dead talk to the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/books-are-the-way-the-dead-talk-to-the-living/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I see and write things first as an artist, second as a woman, and third as a New Yorker. All three have built-in perspectives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-see-and-write-things-first-as-an-artist-second-as-a-woman-and-third/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I am a New Yorker, one; I'm an artist, two; I'm a woman, three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-am-a-new-yorker-one-i-m-an-artist-two-i-m-a-woman-three/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I'm not usually where I think I am. It's kind of spooky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/i-m-not-usually-where-i-think-i-am-it-s-kind-of-spooky/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [A lot of words in English confuse the idea of life and electricity, like the word livewire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/a-lot-of-words-in-english-confuse-the-idea-of-life-and-electricity/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) [Explore all 118 Laurie Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) ## More Instruments quotes > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [The only thing I try to watch carefully is that I never lose the love for the instrument. That's also why I decided against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nils-frahm/the-only-thing-i-try-to-watch-carefully-is-that-i-never-lose-the-love/) [Nils Frahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nils-frahm/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Jazz is not something that can be defined through blunt instruments. It is much more poetic than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/jazz-is-not-something-that-can-be-defined-through-blunt-instruments/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/kenny-g-i-have-to-be-grateful-to-him-for-proving-that-the-instrument/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [I play, like, 12 instruments. Guitar, piano, harmonica, African drums... I'm working on mastering the accordion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-grabeel/i-play-like-12-instruments-guitar-piano-harmonica-african-drums-i-m/) [Lucas Grabeel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-grabeel/) > [“Scattered among these things are reminders that sound once existed: a metronome, a drumming pad, a guitar pick, a trumpet mouthpiece, a music stand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-o-brien/scattered-among-these-things-are-reminders-that-sound-once-existed-a/) [Geoffrey O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-o-brien/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) [Browse all 2,654 Instruments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Something that has so much power must have life. 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