--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But there’s no power in having strength…" description: "\"“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”\" — Octavia E. Butler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/octavia-e-butler-2861_having-strength_but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength_345485.jpg" --- # But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and… ![“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.” quote by Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/octavia-e-butler-2861_having-strength_but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength_345485.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/octavia-e-butler-2861_having-strength_but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength_345485.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/octavia-e-butler-2861_having-strength_but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength_345485.jpg) > ““But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”” [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Strength and intellect alone are useless without action; relying on divine intervention or revenge stalls progress. **In simple terms:** Strength and mind need action, not waiting for God. Key Takeaway Take responsibility for change. Themes power strength mind faith action Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal goals - social justice - conflict resolution - career planning Key Concepts philosophy ethics agency Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take instead of waiting? - How do you balance faith and personal effort? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on external forces can cause passivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) ## Related quotes > [Do not handicap yourself with the idea of revenge, for the trend of things will revenge your wrong not only upon the individuals responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidkun-quisling/do-not-handicap-yourself-with-the-idea-of-revenge-for-the-trend-of/) Vidkun Quisling > [“Anger has great strength, but no brains. Greed has many hands, but no heart. Fear has many titles, but no honor. Hatred has many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/anger-has-great-strength-but-no-brains-greed-has-many-hands-but-no/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Anger has great strength, but no brains. Greed has a great appetite, but no heart. Pride has a great spirit, but no soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/anger-has-great-strength-but-no-brains-greed-has-a-great-appetite-but/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I do think entrepreneurs need to be smart, but there's another scale I never evaluated myself on that is now the source of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/i-do-think-entrepreneurs-need-to-be-smart-but-there-s-another-scale-i/) [Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/) > [Don’t wait around waiting for God to do something that He’s already given you the power to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/don-t-wait-around-waiting-for-god-to-do-something-that-he-s-already/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/i-do-know-that-waiting-on-god-requires-the-willingness-to-bear/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [You are just one idea away from what you sow in your brains, in your prophecies that God spoke over your life. You're one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/you-are-just-one-idea-away-from-what-you-sow-in-your-brains-in-your/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [I'm just waiting for God to tell me what to do, but whatever it is, I want to be doing something like I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/i-m-just-waiting-for-god-to-tell-me-what-to-do-but-whatever-it-is-i/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [“God has an individualized, customized plan for your life. As you trust Him, He will bring it to pass in His timing, not yours.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/god-has-an-individualized-customized-plan-for-your-life-as-you-trust/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Waiting on God, according to Scripture, is not a passive, vacuous state but rather an active process of asking, seeking and engaging with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-greig/waiting-on-god-according-to-scripture-is-not-a-passive-vacuous-state/) Pete Greig > [We must give up the silly idea of folding our hands and waiting on God to do everything for us. If God had intended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/we-must-give-up-the-silly-idea-of-folding-our-hands-and-waiting-on/) [Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/) > [Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. God has the solution- Don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can save a lot of time waiting on God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/you-can-save-a-lot-of-time-waiting-on-god/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-people-of-god-are-not-merely-to-mark-time-waiting-for-god-to-step/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There's a difference between waiting with patient expectation, and waiting because you never know what God will do. If you don't know how God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osayi-osar-emokpae/there-s-a-difference-between-waiting-with-patient-expectation-and/) [Osayi Osar-Emokpae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osayi-osar-emokpae/) ## More by Octavia E. Butler > [The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-is-well-two-things-one-writing-fiction/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It’s too easy to follow bad but attractive leaders, embrace pleasurable but destructive habits, ignore looming disaster because maybe it won’t happen after all—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-s-too-easy-to-follow-bad-but-attractive-leaders-embrace/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“He rubbed his head again. 'Five years is longer than it sounds. So much longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/he-rubbed-his-head-again-five-years-is-longer-than-it-sounds-so-much/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Se sono tuoi, stabilisci tu le regole. A chi importa che cosa ne pensano i giocattoli? Spazza via l'intera famiglia di un giocattolo, poi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/se-sono-tuoi-stabilisci-tu-le-regole-a-chi-importa-che-cosa-ne/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I don't know how much of a market there is for space opera. Just because it's in the movies doesn't mean magazines are buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-don-t-know-how-much-of-a-market-there-is-for-space-opera-just/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Freedom is dangerous but it's precious, too. You can't just throw it away or let it slip away. You can't sell it for bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/freedom-is-dangerous-but-it-s-precious-too-you-can-t-just-throw-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn't say them, couldn't sort out my feelings about them, couldn't keep them bottled inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/sometimes-i-wrote-things-because-i-couldn-t-say-them-couldn-t-sort/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“In the book of Job, God says he made everything and he knows everything so no one has any right to question what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-the-book-of-job-god-says-he-made-everything-and-he-knows/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“After a few years of watching the human species make things unnecessarily difficult for itself I have little hope that it will do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/after-a-few-years-of-watching-the-human-species-make-things/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Self is. Self is body and bodily perception. Self is thought, memory, belief. Self creates. Self destroys. Self learns, discovers, becomes. Self shapes. Self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/self-is-self-is-body-and-bodily-perception-self-is-thought-memory/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [At school I was always taller than the rest of my class, and because I was an only child, I was comfortable with adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/at-school-i-was-always-taller-than-the-rest-of-my-class-and-because-i/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It was milk that had sickened her. Animal milk! These people cooked many things with animal milk!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-was-milk-that-had-sickened-her-animal-milk-these-people-cooked/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/religion-is-everywhere-there-are-no-human-societies-without-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun-but-there-are-new-suns/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“We have, it seems, a few people who think Jarret may be just what the country needs—apart from his religious nonsense. The thing is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/we-have-it-seems-a-few-people-who-think-jarret-may-be-just-what-the/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) [Explore all 131 Octavia E. Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## More Having strength quotes > [To have strength without knowing how to use it means nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-tsukiyama/to-have-strength-without-knowing-how-to-use-it-means-nothing/) [Gail Tsukiyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-tsukiyama/) > [Anyone can practice. Young man can practice. Old man can practice. Very old man can practice. Man who is sick, he can practice. Man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-pattabhi-jois/anyone-can-practice-young-man-can-practice-old-man-can-practice-very/) [K. Pattabhi Jois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-pattabhi-jois/) > [The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-majority-is-the-best-way-because-it-is-visible-and-has-strength/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Having the strength to admit your weakness is what makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-the-strength-to-admit-your-weakness-is-what-makes-you-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stonewall-jackson/always-mystify-mislead-and-surprise-the-enemy-if-possible-and-when/) [Stonewall Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stonewall-jackson/) > [COURAGE is not having the strength to go on... it is going on when you DON'T HAVE the STRENGTH…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-not-having-the-strength-to-go-on-it-is-going-on-when-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing alive enough to have strength to die. (from "Neutral Tones")](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-smile-on-your-mouth-was-the-deadest-thing-alive-enough-to-have/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Sometimes grace is having the strength to persevere through the storm. Sometimes it's having the guts to rebuild, to take a chance, to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/sometimes-grace-is-having-the-strength-to-persevere-through-the-storm/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [You have strengths within your team every single year and sometimes they stay the same, sometimes they change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/you-have-strengths-within-your-team-every-single-year-and-sometimes/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [Have strength in yourself always .think and remember not just what you should do, but also what you want to do. (Ageha , Basara, Vol. 13)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yumi-tamura/have-strength-in-yourself-always-think-and-remember-not-just-what-you/) [Yumi Tamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yumi-tamura/) > [On this day, millions of people...throughout the world will gather to commemorate the life of Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. From his days as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-this-day-millions-of-people-throughout-the-world-will-gather-to/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [When habit has strengthened our sense of duties, they leave us no time for other things; but when young we neglect them and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-habit-has-strengthened-our-sense-of-duties-they-leave-us-no-time/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I gambled on having the strength to live two lives, one for myself and one for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/i-gambled-on-having-the-strength-to-live-two-lives-one-for-myself-and/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I think it's very refreshing to see women in cinema having strength and their own independent storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-bennett/i-think-it-s-very-refreshing-to-see-women-in-cinema-having-strength/) [Haley Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-bennett/) > [And I want to say that my grandmother was one of the biggest inspirations in my life. She taught me how to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/and-i-want-to-say-that-my-grandmother-was-one-of-the-biggest/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) Browse all 87 Having strength quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Octavia E. 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