---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not wise to give something old and…"
description: "\"It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old.\" — Patricia Briggs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png"
---

#  It is not wise to give something old and powerful…

![“It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old.” quote by Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png)

> “It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old.”

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote warns against entrusting valuable, potent matters to those who are already deeply attached, especially when the speaker is also aged and experienced.

**In simple terms:** Don’t give powerful things to people already attached to them, especially if you’re old.

Key Takeaway

Guard valuable assets from those with strong personal stakes.

Themes

trust power age wisdom

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

advice warning

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- family inheritance
- political alliances
- personal relationships
- mentoring

Key Concepts

attachment risk management experience

Questions to Reflect On

- Who might misuse a gift because they care too much?
- How does age affect judgment in such decisions?

A Different Perspective

Even trusted individuals may misuse power due to emotional bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Care Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care-old-1180828/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Old Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-powerful-2407986/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Powerful Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-care-6035710/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-old-267605/)

## Related quotes

> [People as old and powerful as he should never be given someone to love. For Anna he would destroy the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/people-as-old-and-powerful-as-he-should-never-be-given-someone-to/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“It is not wise,” Beauclaire said, his voice clipped, and somewhere in the vowels Anna heard an accent not too far from Bran’s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/it-is-not-wise-beauclaire-said-his-voice-clipped-and-somewhere-in-the/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [A wise old owl once lived in a wood, the more he heard the less he said, the less he said the more he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-wise-old-owl-once-lived-in-a-wood-the-more-he-heard-the-less-he/)

[Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/)

> [I don't care how old you are, if you don't respect me, I'm not respecting you!2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/i-don-t-care-how-old-you-are-if-you-don-t-respect-me-i-m-not/)

[Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/)

> [Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/each-of-us-knows-that-we-have-an-obligation-to-care-for-the-old-the/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [“Your mother and I had a child because we wanted to share our love with someone, not because we wanted a nurse to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-peeler/your-mother-and-i-had-a-child-because-we-wanted-to-share-our-love/)

[Nicole Peeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-peeler/)

> [“We are all the beneficiaries of those who went before us, as well as those who will care for us in old age or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/we-are-all-the-beneficiaries-of-those-who-went-before-us-as-well-as/)

[Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/)

> [“Sons, they have their own plans, but a daughter or granddaughter, they will love you forever and take care of you in your old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/sons-they-have-their-own-plans-but-a-daughter-or-granddaughter-they/)

[Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/)

> [“They were fed and clothed and taken care of until they were too old, and then they were kicked out. This ending was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/they-were-fed-and-clothed-and-taken-care-of-until-they-were-too-old/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Angelina said, "Mom. I don't want you to die. That's the whole thing. You took from me the ability to care for you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/angelina-said-mom-i-don-t-want-you-to-die-that-s-the-whole-thing-you/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I'm not old enough to care, but I am old enough to understand that when someone walks away, they're always going to come back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-old-enough-to-care-but-i-am-old-enough-to-understand-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't care how old I am, I still like cartoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/i-don-t-care-how-old-i-am-i-still-like-cartoons/)

[Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/)

> [I don't care how old I am. If I lose my Mum at the supermarket I will panic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-care-how-old-i-am-if-i-lose-my-mum-at-the-supermarket-i-will/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Don’t matter if you care,” the old miner said, “if you don’t own what you care about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/don-t-matter-if-you-care-the-old-miner-said-if-you-don-t-own-what-you/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [As long as I get to do what I like to do, how do I care about how old I am?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shatrughan-sinha/as-long-as-i-get-to-do-what-i-like-to-do-how-do-i-care-about-how-old/)

[Shatrughan Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shatrughan-sinha/)

## More by Patricia Briggs

> [“His favorite saying was, 'Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europe vincendarum." "'Sometimes I have the urge to conquer large parts of Europe'?" Boyd said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/his-favorite-saying-was-interdum-feror-cupidine-partium-magnarum/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Stefan: "Indian with a dot, not a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/stefan-indian-with-a-dot-not-a-feather/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“want to. Adam wasn’t angry. He wouldn’t hurt me. I let him pull the power of his pack over me like a warm”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/want-to-adam-wasn-t-angry-he-wouldn-t-hurt-me-i-let-him-pull-the/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I promise I won't spank you," he told me, his voice rough and low as he added, "not unless you ask me to." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-promise-i-won-t-spank-you-he-told-me-his-voice-rough-and-low-as-he/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Love is not necessary for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-is-not-necessary-for-sex/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I paused to pat the truck’s hood gently in apology when someone put his hand on my shoulder. I grabbed the hand and rotated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-paused-to-pat-the-truck-s-hood-gently-in-apology-when-someone-put/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [In this dream, I wasn’t a coyote shapeshifter trying to hold a werewolf, I was Coyote’s almost daughter, and I had all the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/in-this-dream-i-wasn-t-a-coyote-shapeshifter-trying-to-hold-a/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“She hit us,” the woman shrieked. That was the gist of it anyway. There were a lot of unladylike words that began with “F,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/she-hit-us-the-woman-shrieked-that-was-the-gist-of-it-anyway-there/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Charles was most comfortable by himself or, if that wasn't possible, with his pack in the wild. Talking for hours in a crowded auditorium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/charles-was-most-comfortable-by-himself-or-if-that-wasn-t-possible/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Evil must always be fought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/evil-must-always-be-fought/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“Beauclaire, for his part, sank back in the soft material of the couch as if the thought that it would impede him should he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/beauclaire-for-his-part-sank-back-in-the-soft-material-of-the-couch/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [What do you mean?” Leslie’s voice was cool, as if she questioned witches who were flat on their backs being threatened by werewolves every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/what-do-you-mean-leslie-s-voice-was-cool-as-if-she-questioned-witches/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [I am not attempting to preserve culture, or record actual events or stories. Instead I bow my head in gratitude to those storytellers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-am-not-attempting-to-preserve-culture-or-record-actual-events-or/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

[Explore all 467 Patricia Briggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Patricia Briggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and-powerful-something-they-care/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and-powerful-something-they-care/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/069/patricia-briggs-571_care_it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and_3217505.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old.” — Patricia Briggs",
                "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": "Patricia Briggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is not wise to give...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and-powerful-something-they-care/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/it-is-not-wise-to-give-something-old-and-powerful-something-they-care/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
