---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is beyond dispute that the state…"
description: "\"It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great power over human life and it always shows a tendency to go beyond the limits laid down for it...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png"
---

#  It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great…

![“It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great power over human life and it always shows a tendency to go beyond the limits laid down for it.” quote by Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png)

> “It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great power over human life and it always shows a tendency to go beyond the limits laid down for it.”

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

## About This Quote

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

The state tends to expand its authority beyond rightful limits, affecting individual lives.

**In simple terms:** State power often overreaches.

Key Takeaway

Guard personal autonomy.

Themes

politics authority individualism

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- government policy
- civil liberties
- public health mandates
- surveillance
- education reforms

Key Concepts

liberalism state power human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies limit state overreach?
- What safeguards protect individual rights?

A Different Perspective

Balancing collective safety with personal freedom is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dispute State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dispute-state-4241580/) [Disputes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disputes/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Great power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-power/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Limits Laid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits-laid-4241581/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [State Exercises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-exercises-4241582/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/)

## Related quotes

> [The questions which for years were in dispute between the State and General Government, and which unhappily were not decided by the dictates of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/the-questions-which-for-years-were-in-dispute-between-the-state-and/)

[Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/)

> [We will not regard any great power as necessarily right in a given dispute unless we are convinced of this, yet at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-barrow/we-will-not-regard-any-great-power-as-necessarily-right-in-a-given/)

[Errol Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-barrow/)

> [Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer serve to settle disputes. It can no longer concern the Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/unconditional-war-can-no-longer-lead-to-unconditional-victory-it-can-3/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/among-many-other-weighty-objections-to-the-measure-it-has-been/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Continuously, we have to fight to defeat the primitive tendency towards the glorification of arms, the adulation of force, born of the illusion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/continuously-we-have-to-fight-to-defeat-the-primitive-tendency/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/)

[Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/)

> [We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-the-great-powers/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [I didn't want to tell the story of what makes two people come together, although that's a theme of great power and universality. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-didn-t-want-to-tell-the-story-of-what-makes-two-people-come/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [Politics is ugly. Never doubt what small men will do for great power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/politics-is-ugly-never-doubt-what-small-men-will-do-for-great-power/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [If you're going to offer a position of great power and importance to somebody, you're not gonna do that publicly unless you know they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-re-going-to-offer-a-position-of-great-power-and-importance-to/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/)

[Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/)

> [Gods have great power, but only humans have creativity, the power to change history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/gods-have-great-power-but-only-humans-have-creativity-the-power-to/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [The first lesson to learn is to resign oneself to the little difficulties in life, not to hit out at everything one comes up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-first-lesson-to-learn-is-to-resign-oneself-to-the-little/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [When we have the Spirit to direct us, we are capable of teaching with great power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/when-we-have-the-spirit-to-direct-us-we-are-capable-of-teaching-with/)

[L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/)

> [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

## More by Nikolai Berdyaev

> [God is a reality of spirit He cannot be conceived as an object, not even as the very highest object. God is not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/god-is-a-reality-of-spirit-he-cannot-be-conceived-as-an-object-not/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Creativity is the mystery of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/creativity-is-the-mystery-of-freedom/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [The question of bread for myself is a material question; but the question of bread for my neighbour, for everybody, is a spiritual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-question-of-bread-for-myself-is-a-material-question-but-the/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [The physical union of the sexes ... only intensifies man's sense of solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-physical-union-of-the-sexes-only-intensifies-man-s-sense-of/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [The overwhelming majority of people, including Christians, are materialists. They do not believe in the power of spirit. They believe only in material power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-overwhelming-majority-of-people-including-christians-are/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Creativity is something which proceeds from within, out of immeasurable and inexplicable depths, not from without, not from the world's necessity. The very desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/creativity-is-something-which-proceeds-from-within-out-of/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [The uniting of Orthodoxy with state absolutism came about on the soil of a non-belief in the Divineness of the earth, in the earthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-uniting-of-orthodoxy-with-state-absolutism-came-about-on-the-soil/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Self-realization is a process of permanent auto-creation, an elaboration of the new man at the expense of the old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/self-realization-is-a-process-of-permanent-auto-creation-an/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [There is a tragic clash between Truth and the world. Pure undistorted truth burns up the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/there-is-a-tragic-clash-between-truth-and-the-world-pure-undistorted/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Ethics occupies a central place in philosophy because it is concerned with sin, with the origin of good and evil and with moral valuations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/ethics-occupies-a-central-place-in-philosophy-because-it-is-concerned/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [In creativity the way will be found for subject to pass into object, the identity of subject with object will be restored. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/in-creativity-the-way-will-be-found-for-subject-to-pass-into-object/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [Freedom is the power to create out of nothing, the power of the spirit to create out of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/freedom-is-the-power-to-create-out-of-nothing-the-power-of-the-spirit/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [I never remain passive in the process of reading: while I read I am engaged in a constant creative activity, which leads me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/i-never-remain-passive-in-the-process-of-reading-while-i-read-i-am/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [The creation of the world is not only a process which moves from God to humanity. God demands newness from humanity; God awaits the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/the-creation-of-the-world-is-not-only-a-process-which-moves-from-god/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

[Explore all 57 Nikolai Berdyaev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

## More Disputes quotes

> [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/)

[Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/)

> [In our system of government, the judicial and legislative branches have different roles. Judges are not politicians. Judges must decide cases, not champion causes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/in-our-system-of-government-the-judicial-and-legislative-branches/)

[Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/)

> [And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-after-hearing-what-our-church-can-say-if-still-our-reason-runs/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/dispute-not-because-ye-see-not-for-ye-receive-no-witness-until-after/)

[Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/)

> [Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/among-many-other-weighty-objections-to-the-measure-it-has-been/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [People of good character are not all going to come down on the same side of difficult political and social issues. Good people-people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bennett/people-of-good-character-are-not-all-going-to-come-down-on-the-same/)

[William Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bennett/)

> [Treaties, agreements and organizations to help settle disputes may be necessary, but they often favor the interests of business over citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/treaties-agreements-and-organizations-to-help-settle-disputes-may-be/)

[David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/)

> [Private property is a necessary institution, at least in a fallen world; men work more and dispute less when goods are private than when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/private-property-is-a-necessary-institution-at-least-in-a-fallen/)

[R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/)

> [Unfortunately, the true force which propels our endless political disputes, our constant struggles for political advantage, is often not our burning concern for democracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olusegun-obasanjo/unfortunately-the-true-force-which-propels-our-endless-political/)

[Olusegun Obasanjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olusegun-obasanjo/)

> [While the business of education in Europe consists in lectures upon the ruins of Palmyra and the antiquities of Herculaneum , or in disputes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/while-the-business-of-education-in-europe-consists-in-lectures-upon/)

[Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/)

> [What began as a bitter dispute over Union and States' Rights, ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America. At Gettysburg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/what-began-as-a-bitter-dispute-over-union-and-states-rights-ended-as/)

[Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/)

> [Even those who, like me, believe that Roe v. Wade and the decisions elaborating on reproductive rights were constitutionally correct must recognize that, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-tribe/even-those-who-like-me-believe-that-roe-v-wade-and-the-decisions/)

[Laurence Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-tribe/)

> [The right tools for solving disputes within our community are precision instruments such as reason, communication, empathy, curiosity, and understanding. They are also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-k-chappell/the-right-tools-for-solving-disputes-within-our-community-are/)

[Paul K. Chappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-k-chappell/)

> [The philosophers of the Middle Ages demonstrated both that the Earth did not exist and also that it was flat. Today they are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilhjalmur-stefansson/the-philosophers-of-the-middle-ages-demonstrated-both-that-the-earth/)

[Vilhjalmur Stefansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilhjalmur-stefansson/)

> [Another rule I have is: Don't let your ego get tied up in a policy dispute. Otherwise, if things don't go your way, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/another-rule-i-have-is-don-t-let-your-ego-get-tied-up-in-a-policy/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

[Browse all 477 Disputes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disputes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great power over human life and it always shows a tendency to go beyond the limits laid down for it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nikolai Berdyaev"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exercises-very-great-power-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Disputes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exercises-very-great-power-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be8/nikolai-berdyaev-11501_disputes_it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exer_1296455.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is beyond dispute that the state exercises very great power over human life and it always shows a…” — Nikolai Berdyaev",
                "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": "Nikolai Berdyaev",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is beyond dispute that the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exercises-very-great-power-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-the-state-exercises-very-great-power-over/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
