--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want power. I just object to…" description: "\"I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.\" — Lois McMaster Bujold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg" --- # I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power… ![“I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.” quote by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg) > “I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.” [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects authority for its own sake, opposing the idea that power is inherently desirable and criticizing incompetent leadership. **In simple terms:** I dislike power when it's wielded by fools. Key Takeaway Question authority; demand competence. Themes politics authority competence individualism Mood skeptical defiant thoughtful Type critical political When to use this quote - voting - workplace - community decisions - activism Key Concepts power dynamics ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - When have you trusted a leader despite flaws? - How can you influence decisions without formal power? A Different Perspective Power can be necessary for order; rejecting all power may be impractical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Having Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-power/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Idiots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiots/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-just-1137455/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-power/) ## Related quotes > [Power just goes to two poles — to those who've got money, and those who've got people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/power-just-goes-to-two-poles-to-those-who-ve-got-money-and-those-who/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [We have power not just with our voices, but we have economic power in what we do for a living, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/we-have-power-not-just-with-our-voices-but-we-have-economic-power-in/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [Power is not just about the chair. The public is power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uddhav-thackeray/power-is-not-just-about-the-chair-the-public-is-power/) [Uddhav Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uddhav-thackeray/) > [You've got to be really dialed into exactly who you are to the one hundredth power or you're just everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/you-ve-got-to-be-really-dialed-into-exactly-who-you-are-to-the-one/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“We can understand an attempt to ignore power as being just for the right of the people when conditions demand it. It's a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/we-can-understand-an-attempt-to-ignore-power-as-being-just-for-the/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [No one holds the power. Just because they might give you a bit of money every now and then doesn't mean that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-corby/no-one-holds-the-power-just-because-they-might-give-you-a-bit-of/) [Matt Corby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-corby/) > [Our country must transform its power system to be just, equitable, anti-racist, and climate- and disaster-resilient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-bush/our-country-must-transform-its-power-system-to-be-just-equitable-anti/) [Cori Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-bush/) > [My power is just God-given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairzinho-rozenstruik/my-power-is-just-god-given/) [Jairzinho Rozenstruik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairzinho-rozenstruik/) > [“Never underestimate the power of just being around someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/never-underestimate-the-power-of-just-being-around-someone/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [Grace is power, not just pardon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/grace-is-power-not-just-pardon/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Education is power. It is just like a light in complete darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziauddin-yousafzai/education-is-power-it-is-just-like-a-light-in-complete-darkness/) [Ziauddin Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziauddin-yousafzai/) > [“The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-power-of-just-mercy-is-that-it-belongs-to-the-undeserving/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I like being powerful. I hope it doesn't go to my head. If somebody's going to have it, it might just as soon be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-landrieu/i-like-being-powerful-i-hope-it-doesn-t-go-to-my-head-if-somebody-s/) [Mary Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-landrieu/) > [Power is just using energy in a wise way to get things done. Power has been misinterpreted to mean getting my way on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/power-is-just-using-energy-in-a-wise-way-to-get-things-done-power-has/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“We have to rise up against all forms of power—but not just power in the narrow sense of the word, referring to the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/we-have-to-rise-up-against-all-forms-of-power-but-not-just-power-in/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) ## More by Lois McMaster Bujold > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Never do yourself, what you can con professionals into doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/never-do-yourself-what-you-can-con-professionals-into-doing-for-you/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“It reminded him of that definition of his father's. A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/it-reminded-him-of-that-definition-of-his-father-s-a-weapon-is-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I was imagining the most bizarre things befalling you.” “Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?” “No…” “Then they weren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-was-imagining-the-most-bizarre-things-befalling-you-did-they/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [There is a sad disconnectedness that overcomes a library when its owner is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-a-sad-disconnectedness-that-overcomes-a-library-when-its/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Anyway, if the Cetagandans really wanted to assassinate you, they'd hardly do it here. They'd slip something subtle under your skin that wouldn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/anyway-if-the-cetagandans-really-wanted-to-assassinate-you-they-d/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/your-reverence-i-do-not-hate-any-man-in-this-world-enough-to-inflict/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-always-thought-my-parents-could-fix-anything-now-it-s-my-turn-dear/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“I think it is not so much the growth of virtue, as simply the replacement of prior vices with an addiction to one’s god.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-think-it-is-not-so-much-the-growth-of-virtue-as-simply-the/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-dead-cannot-cry-out-for-justice-it-is-a-duty-of-the-living-to-do/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [“Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/gardens-were-meant-to-be-seen-smelled-walked-through-grubbed-in-a/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) [Explore all 392 Lois McMaster Bujold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) ## More Idiot quotes > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [Thirty guys equals five percent die-off among active wingsuit base jumpers. That means there's a flaw in our system and you're an idiot if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/thirty-guys-equals-five-percent-die-off-among-active-wingsuit-base/) [Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/) > [You have to be an idiot to run out of gas…I just did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-burke/you-have-to-be-an-idiot-to-run-out-of-gas-i-just-did/) [Brooke Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-burke/) > [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/) > [I need to look like an idiot at least twice a day to keep myself humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-need-to-look-like-an-idiot-at-least-twice-a-day-to-keep-myself/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“But no idiot-proofing can overcome a determined idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-weir/but-no-idiot-proofing-can-overcome-a-determined-idiot/) [Andy Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-weir/) > [One or two years ago, I didn't know who I was on court and I used to swear a lot. But now I've learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-federer/one-or-two-years-ago-i-didn-t-know-who-i-was-on-court-and-i-used-to/) [Roger Federer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-federer/) > [“He came for me. I couldn’t believe it. He came for me . Into a flying palace full of thousands of armed rakshasas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-came-for-me-i-couldn-t-believe-it-he-came-for-me-into-a-flying/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Why does man behave like perfect idiot? This is the problem I wish to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-szent-gyorgyi/why-does-man-behave-like-perfect-idiot-this-is-the-problem-i-wish-to/) [Albert Szent-Gyorgyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-szent-gyorgyi/) > [Without sounding like a right idiot, my mum and my dad are my role models. They devoted everything to my sister and me -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/without-sounding-like-a-right-idiot-my-mum-and-my-dad-are-my-role/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [“The woman may be a biomedical engineer, but I begin to think that she is a certifiable idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/the-woman-may-be-a-biomedical-engineer-but-i-begin-to-think-that-she/) [Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/) > [“Knowledge cannot replace friendship. I'd rather be an idiot than lose you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-to-spongebob/knowledge-cannot-replace-friendship-i-d-rather-be-an-idiot-than-lose/) [Patrick to Spongebob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-to-spongebob/) > [Solemnity is the shield of idiots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/solemnity-is-the-shield-of-idiots/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’ve noticed that you are retarded, Dr. Phil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/i-ve-noticed-that-you-are-retarded-dr-phil/) [Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/) > [“You heard what she said, idiot. She’s not dating, especially not a man her uptight daddy can’t stand the sight of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/codi-gary/you-heard-what-she-said-idiot-she-s-not-dating-especially-not-a-man/) [Codi Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/codi-gary/) [Browse all 2,115 Idiot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idiots-having-power-over-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idiot" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idiots-having-power-over-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_idiot_i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idio_1306634.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't want power. I just object to idiots having power over me.” — Lois McMaster Bujold", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't want power. I just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idiots-having-power-over-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-don-t-want-power-i-just-object-to-idiots-having-power-over-me/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```