--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as I hold it as long as I use it…" description: "\"As long as I hold it as long as I use it, the knife lives, lives in order to take life, but it has to be commanded, it has to have me to tell it to kil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/patrick-ness-449_cutting_as-long-as-i-hold-it-as-long-as-i-use-it_527029.jpg" --- # As long as I hold it as long as I use it, the knife lives… ![“As long as I hold it as long as I use it, the knife lives, lives in order to take life, but it has to be commanded, it has to have me to tell it to kill, and it wants to, it wants to plunge and thrust and cut and stab and gouge, but I have to want it to as well, my will has to join with its will…” quote by Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/patrick-ness-449_cutting_as-long-as-i-hold-it-as-long-as-i-use-it_527029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/patrick-ness-449_cutting_as-long-as-i-hold-it-as-long-as-i-use-it_527029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/patrick-ness-449_cutting_as-long-as-i-hold-it-as-long-as-i-use-it_527029.jpg) > “As long as I hold it as long as I use it, the knife lives, lives in order to take life, but it has to be commanded, it has to have me to tell it to kill, and it wants to, it wants to plunge and thrust and cut and stab and gouge, but I have to want it to as well, my will has to join with its will. I'm the one who allows it and I'm the one responsible.” [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## 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 explores how tools, like a knife, are neutral until a person directs their intent, making the user responsible for the outcomes. **In simple terms:** Tools are neutral; user intent matters. Key Takeaway Own responsibility for how you use power. Themes responsibility intent power ethics control Mood reflective serious Type philosophical ethical literary When to use this quote - self‑defense - cooking - craftsmanship - medical surgery - artistic creation Key Concepts agency moral responsibility instrumentality Questions to Reflect On - Do you consider the tool's design influence? - How do you balance intent with tool impact? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex systems where outcomes aren't solely determined by individual will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-life/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) ## Related quotes > [If I was a serial killer I'd use my knife to make strangers kiss in front of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-i-was-a-serial-killer-i-d-use-my-knife-to-make-strangers-kiss-in/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“This life was a dream of my own making, one where my imagination was my only boundary. It was a life that I alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/this-life-was-a-dream-of-my-own-making-one-where-my-imagination-was/) [Mary E. 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