--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The issue is not whether or not you have…" description: "\"The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.\" — Marianne Williamson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png" --- # The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the… ![“The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png) > “The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.” [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having power is insufficient; ethical responsibility lies in choosing to act wisely and compassionately. **In simple terms:** Power matters only when used. Key Takeaway Responsibility defines power. Themes ethics agency leadership Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - a manager deciding on layoffs - a citizen voting on policy Key Concepts moral accountability Practical Applications - create decision‑making frameworks that prioritize impact Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from using your power? - How can you ensure your actions align with your values? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Issue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issue/) [Issue Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issue-power-417647/) [Issue Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issue-use-1410203/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Issue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-issue-1410204/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [Hunger is a people-made phenomenon, so the central issue is power: the power of those who make the decisions about what is grown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hunger-is-a-people-made-phenomenon-so-the-central-issue-is-power-the/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [I don't have the power to issue papal decrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/i-don-t-have-the-power-to-issue-papal-decrees/) [Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/) > [The issue of power is not bound to power per se, but often depends on the people themselves, to what extent they unconsciously encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/the-issue-of-power-is-not-bound-to-power-per-se-but-often-depends-on/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [“Don’t telegraph your goals; infiltrate the Democratic Party and other liberal institutions and subvert them; treat moral principles as dispensable fictions; and never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/don-t-telegraph-your-goals-infiltrate-the-democratic-party-and-other/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [I always go back to the fact that one man can make a difference. No matter what the issue, we always have the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnamdi-asomugha/i-always-go-back-to-the-fact-that-one-man-can-make-a-difference-no/) [Nnamdi Asomugha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnamdi-asomugha/) > [The common ingredient in every single dysfunction is an issue of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/the-common-ingredient-in-every-single-dysfunction-is-an-issue-of-power/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [The real bugging issue is power and not the position or the person whom we are hinting verbally and relentlessly with no seemingly sensible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/the-real-bugging-issue-is-power-and-not-the-position-or-the-person/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [Time has driven out sex and money as the central issues. 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Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) [Darlene Senger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-senger/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [I ask to be judged on the issue of unemployment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/i-ask-to-be-judged-on-the-issue-of-unemployment/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) ## More by Marianne Williamson > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. 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You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. 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Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [If you don't think about or deal with an issue, it gets bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-heughan/if-you-don-t-think-about-or-deal-with-an-issue-it-gets-bigger/) [Sam Heughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-heughan/) > [I've said before, the number one thing that we have to work on is protecting the gay community from sharia law. Now, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/i-ve-said-before-the-number-one-thing-that-we-have-to-work-on-is/) [Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/) > [The reality is, we're seeing these more intense events, we're seeing these mega-hurricanes. Nobody's disputing that and nobody thinks that's a Democrat or Republican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-x-suarez/the-reality-is-we-re-seeing-these-more-intense-events-we-re-seeing/) [Francis X. 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I've always been against Con-Con, from the very first the time the idea was raised. Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/i-think-the-con-con-issue-is-really-diversionary-i-ve-always-been/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [When I heard about the Windrush issue, I thought, 'That could be my mum... it could be my dad... it could be my uncle...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-javid/when-i-heard-about-the-windrush-issue-i-thought-that-could-be-my-mum/) [Sajid Javid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-javid/) > [Ooh, he new issue is out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoidberg/ooh-he-new-issue-is-out/) [Zoidberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoidberg/) > [Whenever we have had a need for a national security or public safety issue, Congress has always followed the recommendations of the White House,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/whenever-we-have-had-a-need-for-a-national-security-or-public-safety/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [The whole issue of how women's management styles are viewed is an incredibly interesting subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/the-whole-issue-of-how-women-s-management-styles-are-viewed-is-an/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) [Browse all 839 Issue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issue/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marianne Williamson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have-that-power-the-issue-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Issue" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have-that-power-the-issue-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/marianne-williamson-90_issue_the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have_120942.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The issue is not whether or not you have that power, the issue is whether or not you use it.” — Marianne Williamson", "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": "Marianne Williamson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The issue is not whether or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have-that-power-the-issue-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-issue-is-not-whether-or-not-you-have-that-power-the-issue-is/#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 } } ] } ```