---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because of their lust for authority men…"
description: "\"“Because of their lust for authority men are in constant turmoil. Those in authority are ever fighting to maintain it. Those out of authority are ever ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg"
---

#  Because of their lust for authority men are in constant…

![“Because of their lust for authority men are in constant turmoil. Those in authority are ever fighting to maintain it. Those out of authority are ever struggling to snatch it from the hands of those who hold it. While Man, the God in swaddling-bands, is trampled under foot and hoof and left on the…” quote by Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg)

> ““Because of their lust for authority men are in constant turmoil. Those in authority are ever fighting to maintain it. Those out of authority are ever struggling to snatch it from the hands of those who hold it. While Man, the God in swaddling-bands, is trampled under foot and hoof and left on the field of battle unnoticed, unattended and unsolved. So furious is the fight, and so blood crazed the fighters that none, alas, would stop to lift the painted mask off the face of the spurious bride and expose her monstrous ugliness to all. Believe, O monks, that no authority is worth the flutter of an eyelash, except the authority of Holy Understanding which is priceless. For that no sacrifice is great. Attain it once, and you shall hold it to the end of Time. And it shall charge your words with more power than all the armies of the world can ever command; and it shall bless your deeds with more beneficence than all the world authorities combined can ever dream of bringing to the world.””

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Power struggles arise from desire for control; true authority lies in deep understanding, not domination.

**In simple terms:** Authority is about understanding, not control.

Key Takeaway

Seek wisdom over power.

Themes

authority power spirituality conflict humility

Mood

reflective serious inspirational

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- political leadership
- personal growth
- conflict resolution
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What does true authority mean to you?
- How can you prioritize understanding over control?

A Different Perspective

True authority requires sacrifice and humility, which many resist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [End of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-time/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [Let us therefore yield ourselves and bow to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, which can neither err nor deceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/let-us-therefore-yield-ourselves-and-bow-to-the-authority-of-the-holy/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Before all else, Protestantism is, in its very essence, an appeal from all other authority to the divine authority of Holy Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-warfield/before-all-else-protestantism-is-in-its-very-essence-an-appeal-from/)

[B. B. Warfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-warfield/)

> [“If anyone shall set the authority of Holy Writ against clear and manifest reason, he who does this knows not what he has undertaken;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/if-anyone-shall-set-the-authority-of-holy-writ-against-clear-and/)

[Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/)

> [I am inclined to think that the authority of Holy Scripture is intended to convince men of those truths which are necessary for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-am-inclined-to-think-that-the-authority-of-holy-scripture-is/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [Babies are sweet. they are pure and they love you until the end of time. But what happens when a baby dies? Does the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylynn-thompson/babies-are-sweet-they-are-pure-and-they-love-you-until-the-end-of/)

[Kaylynn Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylynn-thompson/)

> [Be with the one who¦. Loves to see you smile and promises to make you laugh and giggle¦ The one Who supports you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kostyla/be-with-the-one-who-loves-to-see-you-smile-and-promises-to-make-you/)

[Karen Kostyla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kostyla/)

> [When I say I love you I have nothing to hide I think and dream about you all the time so when do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette/when-i-say-i-love-you-i-have-nothing-to-hide-i-think-and-dream-about/)

Yvette

> [“He just wanted to live inside a moment of that life with her forever, to pluck it like a flower and press it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/he-just-wanted-to-live-inside-a-moment-of-that-life-with-her-forever/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [Purple haze all in my eyes, don't know if it's day or night. You got me blowin', blowin' my mind. Is it tomorrow or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/purple-haze-all-in-my-eyes-don-t-know-if-it-s-day-or-night-you-got-me/)

[Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/)

> [Guns are going to be here until the end of time; the underworld is going to be here until the end of time. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/guns-are-going-to-be-here-until-the-end-of-time-the-underworld-is/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [And the voices in the waves are always whispering to Florence, in their ceaseless murmuring, of love - of love, eternal and illimitable, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/and-the-voices-in-the-waves-are-always-whispering-to-florence-in/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Who cares whether this is a poem or rhyme, I will love you until the end of time...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijeet/who-cares-whether-this-is-a-poem-or-rhyme-i-will-love-you-until-the/)

[Abhijeet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijeet/)

> [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/)

[Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/)

> [When an angel comes down and takes me away, memories of me and my songs will always stay until the end of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/when-an-angel-comes-down-and-takes-me-away-memories-of-me-and-my/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

## More by Mikhail Naimy

> [Aye, fight! But not your neighbor. Fight rather all the things that cause you and your neighbor to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/aye-fight-but-not-your-neighbor-fight-rather-all-the-things-that/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [No love is Love that subjugates the Lover. No love is Love that feeds on flesh and blood. No love is Love that draws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/no-love-is-love-that-subjugates-the-lover-no-love-is-love-that-feeds/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“Rejoice, Micayon. Yours is a prophet’s dream. The Great Nostalgia has made your world too small, and made you a stranger in that world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/rejoice-micayon-yours-is-a-prophet-s-dream-the-great-nostalgia-has/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“Be kind to men of every race and clime, my companions. They are the food for your God-ward journey. But be especially kind to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/be-kind-to-men-of-every-race-and-clime-my-companions-they-are-the/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [Your breath upon the wind shall surely lodge within some breast. Ask not whose breast it is. See only that the breath itself be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/your-breath-upon-the-wind-shall-surely-lodge-within-some-breast-ask/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [Often you shall think your road impassable, sombre and companionless. Have will and plod along; and round each curve you shall find a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/often-you-shall-think-your-road-impassable-sombre-and-companionless/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“The really poor is he who misuses what he has. The really rich is he who well uses what he has.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/the-really-poor-is-he-who-misuses-what-he-has-the-really-rich-is-he/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [Love is the only freedom from attachment. When you love everything, you are attached to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/love-is-the-only-freedom-from-attachment-when-you-love-everything-you/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [If then, your world be such a baffling riddle, it is because you are that baffling riddle. And if your speech be such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/if-then-your-world-be-such-a-baffling-riddle-it-is-because-you-are/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“If you would truly govern men, dive to their utmost depths. For men are more than foaming waves. But to dive to the utmost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/if-you-would-truly-govern-men-dive-to-their-utmost-depths-for-men-are/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“Once Understanding is unveiled, then victory is won and Peace established in the heart for ever and anon. An understanding heart is ever at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/once-understanding-is-unveiled-then-victory-is-won-and-peace/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“Seek no authority over the lives of men; of that the Omniwill is master. Nor seek authority over the goods of men; for men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/seek-no-authority-over-the-lives-of-men-of-that-the-omniwill-is/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [To feed on death is to become food for death. To live by other's pain is to become a prey for pain. So has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/to-feed-on-death-is-to-become-food-for-death-to-live-by-other-s-pain/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“A perfect unit is the Earth. Why do you persist in disremembering her with swords and boundary marks?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/a-perfect-unit-is-the-earth-why-do-you-persist-in-disremembering-her/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

> [“An aim missed is always an aim attained. Let your hearts be Disappointment-proof”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/an-aim-missed-is-always-an-aim-attained-let-your-hearts-be/)

[Mikhail Naimy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

[Explore all 41 Mikhail Naimy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Because of their lust for authority men are in constant turmoil. Those in authority are ever fighting to maintain it. Those out of authority are ever struggling to snatch it from the hands of those who hold it. While Man, the God in swaddling-bands, is trampled under foot and hoof and left on the field of battle unnoticed, unattended and unsolved. So furious is the fight, and so blood crazed the fighters that none, alas, would stop to lift the painted mask off the face of the spurious bride and expose her monstrous ugliness to all. Believe, O monks, that no authority is worth the flutter of an eyelash, except the authority of Holy Understanding which is priceless. For that no sacrifice is great. Attain it once, and you shall hold it to the end of Time. And it shall charge your words with more power than all the armies of the world can ever command; and it shall bless your deeds with more beneficence than all the world authorities combined can ever dream of bringing to the world.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Naimy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men-are-in-constant-turmoil-those/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men-are-in-constant-turmoil-those/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a1/mikhail-naimy-16097_authority_because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men_2751641.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Because of their lust for authority men are in constant turmoil. Those in authority are ever fighting to…” — Mikhail Naimy",
                "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": "Mikhail Naimy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-naimy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Because of their lust for authority...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men-are-in-constant-turmoil-those/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-naimy/because-of-their-lust-for-authority-men-are-in-constant-turmoil-those/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
