--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Usually, when we think of power, we think…" description: "\"“Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who have made it in the world. A powerful woman ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg" --- # Usually, when we think of power, we think of external… ![“Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who have made it in the world. A powerful woman isn’t necessarily someone who has money, but we think of her as someone with a boldness or a spark that makes her manifest in a dramatic way. When…” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg) > ““Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who have made it in the world. A powerful woman isn’t necessarily someone who has money, but we think of her as someone with a boldness or a spark that makes her manifest in a dramatic way. When we think of a powerful man, we think of his ability to manifest abundance, usually money, in the world. Most people say that a powerful woman does best with a powerful man, that she needs someone who understands the bigness of her situation, a man who can meet her at the same or even greater level of power in the world. Now this is true, if power is defined as material abundance. A woman often faces cultural prejudice when she makes more money than a man, as does he. A woman who defines power by worldly standards can rarely feel totally relaxed in the arms of a man who doesn’t have it. If power is seen as an internal matter, then the situation changes drastically. Internal power has less to do with money and worldly position, and more to do than with emotional expansiveness, spirituality and conscious living… I used to think I needed a powerful man, someone who could protect me from the harshness and evils of the world. What I have come to realize is that…the powerful man I was looking for would be foremost, someone who supported me in keeping myself on track spiritually, and in so maintaining clarity within myself, that life would present fewer problems. When it did get rough, he would help me forgive. I no longer wanted somebody who would say to me, “Don’t worry honey, if they’re mean to you I’ll beat them up or buy them out.” Instead, I want someone who prays and meditates with me regularly so that fewer monsters from the outer world disturb me, and who when they do, helps me look within my own consciousness for answers, instead of looking to false power to combat false power. There’s a big difference between a gentle man and a weak man. Weak men make us nervous. Gentle men make us calm.”” [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. Power is internal, rooted in emotional depth and spiritual clarity, not merely material wealth; true partnership supports mutual inner growth. **In simple terms:** True power comes from inner emotional and spiritual strength, not money. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner power and seek supportive partners. Themes gender dynamics inner power spirituality relationships empowerment Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - career advancement - spiritual practice - conflict resolution Key Concepts Emotional intelligence conscious living meditation mutual support Questions to Reflect On - How do you define power beyond material success? - What practices nurture your inner strength? A Different Perspective External validation can still dominate societal expectations, challenging inner focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Powerful man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-man/) [Powerful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-people/) [Powerful woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-woman/) [Weak men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-men/) ## Related quotes > [We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-still-think-of-a-powerful-man-as-a-born-leader-and-a-powerful/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [It's difficult to exist as a woman, especially I think as a powerful woman. You want to stand strong and you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/it-s-difficult-to-exist-as-a-woman-especially-i-think-as-a-powerful/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [The power to think as you wish to think is the only power over which you have absolute control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-power-to-think-as-you-wish-to-think-is-the-only-power-over-which/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“If you have the power to think, you have the power to change your world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-have-the-power-to-think-you-have-the-power-to-change-your-world/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I really don't think of power. I think more of service to the people of my state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-patnaik/i-really-don-t-think-of-power-i-think-more-of-service-to-the-people/) [Naveen Patnaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-patnaik/) > [Harry Potter is one boy in a long line of mythical heroes who have reminded the human race that we are so much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/harry-potter-is-one-boy-in-a-long-line-of-mythical-heroes-who-have/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [People need to realize how powerful the transformation of soil can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-finley/people-need-to-realize-how-powerful-the-transformation-of-soil-can-be/) [Ron Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-finley/) > [Women don't realize how powerful they are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-light/women-don-t-realize-how-powerful-they-are/) [Judith Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-light/) > [“We begin to realize that it will take something more powerful than we are to relieve our suffering. This is what we’ve been missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marta-mrotek/we-begin-to-realize-that-it-will-take-something-more-powerful-than-we/) [Marta Mrotek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marta-mrotek/) > [I just didn't realize how powerful 'CHiPs' was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilcox/i-just-didn-t-realize-how-powerful-chips-was/) [Larry Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilcox/) > [If you realize how powerful your thought are,,you would never think a negative thought again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-realize-how-powerful-your-thought-are-you-would-never-think-a/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [When women think of power, we shouldn’t think of it only for ourselves. We should be thinking about what we’re going to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-women-think-of-power-we-shouldn-t-think-of-it-only-for-ourselves/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [There are 2 types of living, reactive and conscious living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-shaylitsa/there-are-2-types-of-living-reactive-and-conscious-living/) [Edward Shaylitsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-shaylitsa/) > [Hate nobody; love everybody. It won't cost you anything. Love never costs anything. Love is the most selfish act. It gives you so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/hate-nobody-love-everybody-it-won-t-cost-you-anything-love-never/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [You will learn to paint trees only by understanding them, their growth, their nature, their movement - and realizing that they are conscious living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-carlson/you-will-learn-to-paint-trees-only-by-understanding-them-their-growth/) [John F. Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-carlson/) ## 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. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/until-we-have-met-the-monsters-in-ourselves-we-keep-trying-to-slay/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [No matter how sad we might be, the universe is still planning our happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/no-matter-how-sad-we-might-be-the-universe-is-still-planning-our/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Love is who we are, and when we deviate from that love we're deviating from our ultimate, essential, eternal reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-is-who-we-are-and-when-we-deviate-from-that-love-we-re-deviating/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [For many, many people, getting married is one of the most important things they will ever do in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-many-people-getting-married-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [It is not too late. 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. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More Feminism quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) Joseph Joffre > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who have made it in the world. A powerful woman isn’t necessarily someone who has money, but we think of her as someone with a boldness or a spark that makes her manifest in a dramatic way. When we think of a powerful man, we think of his ability to manifest abundance, usually money, in the world. Most people say that a powerful woman does best with a powerful man, that she needs someone who understands the bigness of her situation, a man who can meet her at the same or even greater level of power in the world. Now this is true, if power is defined as material abundance. A woman often faces cultural prejudice when she makes more money than a man, as does he. A woman who defines power by worldly standards can rarely feel totally relaxed in the arms of a man who doesn’t have it. If power is seen as an internal matter, then the situation changes drastically. Internal power has less to do with money and worldly position, and more to do than with emotional expansiveness, spirituality and conscious living… I used to think I needed a powerful man, someone who could protect me from the harshness and evils of the world. What I have come to realize is that…the powerful man I was looking for would be foremost, someone who supported me in keeping myself on track spiritually, and in so maintaining clarity within myself, that life would present fewer problems. When it did get rough, he would help me forgive. I no longer wanted somebody who would say to me, “Don’t worry honey, if they’re mean to you I’ll beat them up or buy them out.” Instead, I want someone who prays and meditates with me regularly so that fewer monsters from the outer world disturb me, and who when they do, helps me look within my own consciousness for answers, instead of looking to false power to combat false power. There’s a big difference between a gentle man and a weak man. Weak men make us nervous. Gentle men make us calm.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marianne Williamson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think-of-external-power-and-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feminism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think-of-external-power-and-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marianne-williamson-90_feminism_usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think_1621011.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Usually, when we think of power, we think of external power. And we think of powerful people as those who…” — 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": "“Usually, when we think of power,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think-of-external-power-and-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/usually-when-we-think-of-power-we-think-of-external-power-and-we/#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 } } ] } ```