--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the whole idea of stealing fantastically…" description: "\"“the whole idea of stealing fantastically dangerous weapons presents the would-be perp with inherent dangers and contradictions: When you are wrestling..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/neal-stephenson-362_dangerous_the-whole-idea-of-stealing-fantastically_1790333.png" --- # the whole idea of stealing fantastically dangerous weapons… ![“the whole idea of stealing fantastically dangerous weapons presents the would-be perp with inherent dangers and contradictions: When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins.” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/neal-stephenson-362_dangerous_the-whole-idea-of-stealing-fantastically_1790333.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/neal-stephenson-362_dangerous_the-whole-idea-of-stealing-fantastically_1790333.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/neal-stephenson-362_dangerous_the-whole-idea-of-stealing-fantastically_1790333.png) > ““the whole idea of stealing fantastically dangerous weapons presents the would-be perp with inherent dangers and contradictions: When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins.”” [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) ## 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 over dangerous tools create paradoxes where control is illusively held by those who seem weakest. **In simple terms:** Control often lies with the seemingly weakest. Key Takeaway Beware hidden dangers when seeking power. Themes power danger paradox conflict Mood cautionary reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - political intrigue - technology ethics - leadership - risk management Key Concepts game theory weaponization human nature Questions to Reflect On - Who truly holds power in your situation? - What risks arise from seeking dangerous tools? A Different Perspective Power can be fleeting and deceptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-you-are-wrestling-for-possession-of-a-sword-the-man-with-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Everything should be done to prevent Iran, the world's most dangerous regime, from developing the world's most dangerous weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/everything-should-be-done-to-prevent-iran-the-world-s-most-dangerous/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [If a law could keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be virtually no gun crime at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/if-a-law-could-keep-dangerous-weapons-out-of-the-hands-of-dangerous/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Pakistan will never be able to match the Indian militarily and the effort to do so is taking an immense toll on the society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/pakistan-will-never-be-able-to-match-the-indian-militarily-and-the-3/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This government does not believe that public safety is enhanced by carrying weapons. In fact, it has been a long-standing Canadian government practice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mclellan/this-government-does-not-believe-that-public-safety-is-enhanced-by/) [Anne McLellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mclellan/) > [Ideas are indeed the most dangerous weapons in the world. Our ideas of freedom are the most powerful political weapons man has ever forged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/ideas-are-indeed-the-most-dangerous-weapons-in-the-world-our-ideas-of/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/i-m-all-in-favor-of-keeping-dangerous-weapons-out-of-the-hands-of/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/there-are-no-dangerous-weapons-there-are-only-dangerous-men/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Words are the most dangerous weapons of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mandela/words-are-the-most-dangerous-weapons-of-all/) Barry Mandela > [If we don't act now, then we will go back to what has happened before and then of course the whole thing begins again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/if-we-don-t-act-now-then-we-will-go-back-to-what-has-happened-before/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [I'll not meddle with it. 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I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More by Neal Stephenson > [“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-study-dead-languages-for-a-living-i-said-that-s-why-you-hired-me/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/other-people-store-clerks-burger-flippers-software-engineers-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-is-what-you-don-t-expect-he-d-said-that-most-needs-looking-for-do/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-insects-here-see-you-as-a-big-slab-of-animated-but-not-very-well/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/space-and-time-two-minor-omissions-that-no-one-is-likely-to-notice/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. 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Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“and people could only make sense of complicated matters through stories. Likewise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/and-people-could-only-make-sense-of-complicated-matters-through/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Van Eck phreaking,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/van-eck-phreaking/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) [Explore all 633 Neal Stephenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) ## More Dangerous quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjen-robben/in-my-youth-team-days-i-was-always-a-left-winger-who-would-stay-close/) [Arjen Robben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjen-robben/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [Die gefährlichste Weltanschauung ist die Weltanschauung derer, die die Welt nie angeschaut haben. (The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-von-humboldt/die-gef-hrlichste-weltanschauung-ist-die-weltanschauung-derer-die-die/) [Alexander von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-von-humboldt/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. 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