--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tools arm the man. One can well say that…" description: "\"Tools arm the man. One can well say that man is capable of bringing forth a world; he lacks only the necessary apparatus, the corresponding armature of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/novalis-1989_able_tools-arm-the-man-one-can-well-say-that_520420.jpg" --- # Tools arm the man. One can well say that man is capable of… ![“Tools arm the man. One can well say that man is capable of bringing forth a world; he lacks only the necessary apparatus, the corresponding armature of his sensory tools. The beginning is there. Thus the principle of a warship lies in the idea of the shipbuilder, who is able to incorporate this…” quote by Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/novalis-1989_able_tools-arm-the-man-one-can-well-say-that_520420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/novalis-1989_able_tools-arm-the-man-one-can-well-say-that_520420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/novalis-1989_able_tools-arm-the-man-one-can-well-say-that_520420.jpg) > “Tools arm the man. One can well say that man is capable of bringing forth a world; he lacks only the necessary apparatus, the corresponding armature of his sensory tools. The beginning is there. Thus the principle of a warship lies in the idea of the shipbuilder, who is able to incorporate this thought by making himself into a gigantic machine, as it were, through a mass of men and appropriate tools and materials. Thus the idea of a moment often required monstrous organs, monstrous masses of materials, and man is therefore a potential, if not an actual creator.” [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human potential is unlocked by the right tools and collective effort, turning ideas into massive creations. **In simple terms:** Tools enable big creations. Key Takeaway Gather the right tools and people. Themes creativity collective effort potential Mood inspired determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - engineering projects - artistic collaborations - scientific research - large‑scale construction - social movements Key Concepts philosophy metaphor technology Questions to Reflect On - What tools do you lack for your biggest goal? - How can collaboration amplify your ideas? A Different Perspective Without proper coordination, tools alone cannot achieve the vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Corresponding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corresponding/) [Corresponding Armature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corresponding-armature-4391908/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Idea Shipbuilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-shipbuilder-4391907/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Machinery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machinery/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Man Potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-potential-1395394/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Monstrous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monstrous/) [Organs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organs/) [Principle Warship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-warship-4391906/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Sensory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensory/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Warship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warship-203541/) [Warships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warships/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The best ambassador is a warship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-j-howard/the-best-ambassador-is-a-warship/) [Michelle J. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-j-howard/) > [“...for all its apparent speed, the ship was almost perfectly silent, and he experienced an enervating, eerie feeling, as though the ancient warship, mothballed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/for-all-its-apparent-speed-the-ship-was-almost-perfectly-silent-and/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Yes, but none of them can steal my ship. None of them are smart enough to know that it was the right thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/yes-but-none-of-them-can-steal-my-ship-none-of-them-are-smart-enough/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [Admiral. That part of a warship which does the talking while the figurehead does the thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/admiral-that-part-of-a-warship-which-does-the-talking-while-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I am very proud to be taking command of a Type 23 frigate, which is an extremely flexible warship, and I'm looking forward to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-west/i-am-very-proud-to-be-taking-command-of-a-type-23-frigate-which-is-an/) [Sarah West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-west/) > [“It was a warship, after all. It was built, designed to glory in destruction, when it was considered appropriate. It found, as it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/it-was-a-warship-after-all-it-was-built-designed-to-glory-in/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [Man is as full of potential as he is of importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/man-is-as-full-of-potential-as-he-is-of-importance/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [A man's potential for God lies not in his ability, nor in his opportunity, but in his humility before God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-berg/a-man-s-potential-for-god-lies-not-in-his-ability-nor-in-his/) [Jim Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-berg/) > [Every man is a potential genius until he does something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/every-man-is-a-potential-genius-until-he-does-something/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [“Wise is the man who has the potential for height in his muscles but who renounces climbing in his consciousness. By virtue of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/wise-is-the-man-who-has-the-potential-for-height-in-his-muscles-but-2/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Every man is a potential rapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nandita-das/every-man-is-a-potential-rapist/) [Nandita Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nandita-das/) > [Each man has in him the potential to realize the truth through his own will and endeavour and to help others to realize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/each-man-has-in-him-the-potential-to-realize-the-truth-through-his/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [“And there my dear Fio, you make one of Womankind's greatest mistakes: falling in love with a man's potential. We so rarely share the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning-fever-series/and-there-my-dear-fio-you-make-one-of-womankind-s-greatest-mistakes/) [Karen Marie Moning Fever Series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning-fever-series/) > [“You make on the Womankind's greatest mistakes: falling in love with a man's potential”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/you-make-on-the-womankind-s-greatest-mistakes-falling-in-love-with-a/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Never agree to marry a man because he has potential. Men are not houses, they do not make good fixer-uppers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-agree-to-marry-a-man-because-he-has-potential-men-are-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Novalis > [To get to know a truth properly, one must polemicize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/to-get-to-know-a-truth-properly-one-must-polemicize-it/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Character is a wish for a perfect education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/character-is-a-wish-for-a-perfect-education/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“Whoever sees life other than as a self-destroying illusion is himself still preoccupied with life. Life must not be a novel that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/whoever-sees-life-other-than-as-a-self-destroying-illusion-is-himself/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“Inspiration without intellect is useless and dangerous; and the poet will be able to perform few wonders, when he is astonished by wonders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/inspiration-without-intellect-is-useless-and-dangerous-and-the-poet/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [It is not merely the multiplicity of tints, the gladness of tone, or the balminess of the air which delight in the spring; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/it-is-not-merely-the-multiplicity-of-tints-the-gladness-of-tone-or/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [“The world must be romanticized. Only in that way will one rediscover its original senses. Romanticization is nothing less than a qualitative raising of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/the-world-must-be-romanticized-only-in-that-way-will-one-rediscover/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Nature is an aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/nature-is-an-aeolian-harp-a-musical-instrument-whose-tones-are-the-re/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Where are we really going? Always home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/where-are-we-really-going-always-home/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Darwin remarks that we are less dazzled by the light at waking, if we have been dreaming of visible objects. Happy are those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/darwin-remarks-that-we-are-less-dazzled-by-the-light-at-waking-if-we/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [We are near waking when we dream we are dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/we-are-near-waking-when-we-dream-we-are-dreaming/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Man has his being in truth--if he sacrifices truth he sacrifices himself. Whoever betrays truth betrays himself. It is not a question of lying--but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/man-has-his-being-in-truth-if-he-sacrifices-truth-he-sacrifices/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/every-beloved-object-is-the-center-point-of-a-paradise/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [In a work of art, chaos must shimmer through the veil of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/in-a-work-of-art-chaos-must-shimmer-through-the-veil-of-order/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Many things are too delicate to be thought; many more, to be spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/many-things-are-too-delicate-to-be-thought-many-more-to-be-spoken/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) [Explore all 167 Novalis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tools arm the man. One can well say that man is capable of bringing forth a world; he lacks only the necessary apparatus, the corresponding armature of his sensory tools. The beginning is there. 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