--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be omnipotent but friendless is to…" description: "\"To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign.\" — Percy Bysshe Shelley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg" --- # To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign. ![“To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign.” quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg) > “To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign.” [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Absolute power without companionship is hollow; true fulfillment requires meaningful relationships. **In simple terms:** Power alone is empty without friends. Key Takeaway Seek connection, not just control. Themes power loneliness human connection Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - leadership - personal ambition - relationship building Key Concepts existentialism social philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Can power ever substitute for friendship? - What does true reign mean? A Different Perspective Even omnipotence cannot replace the need for companionship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Omnipotent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omnipotent/) [Reign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [To hope till hope creates From its own wreck the thing it contemplates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-hope-till-hope-creates-from-its-own-wreck-the-thing-it-contemplates/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [All things are sold: the very light of heaven is venal; earth's unsparing gifts of love, the smallest and most despicable things that lurk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/all-things-are-sold-the-very-light-of-heaven-is-venal-earth-s/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“It is one thing to be sick of your own infirmities and another to understand that the people you love most are sick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/it-is-one-thing-to-be-sick-of-your-own-infirmities-and-another-to/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Poem by Howard A. Walter (Character) I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/poem-by-howard-a-walter-character-i-would-be-true-for-there-are-those/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Don't you worry about that, Mr. Adamsson. Why don't you head back to Reykjavik and spend some of that extortionate fee you charged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/don-t-you-worry-about-that-mr-adamsson-why-don-t-you-head-back-to/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Would you rather be a friendless loser with self confidence or a popular person with low self-esteem?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-you-rather-be-a-friendless-loser-with-self-confidence-or-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...anyone looking for friends without faults shall remain friendless. The choice is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/anyone-looking-for-friends-without-faults-shall-remain-friendless-the/) [Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/) > [We're chipping away at our capacity for wonder. When hologram TVs eventually go on sale, they'll cost £20,000 and be bought only by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/we-re-chipping-away-at-our-capacity-for-wonder-when-hologram-tvs/) [Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/) > [He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation. Thus, princes and kings in speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-who-is-great-must-make-humility-his-base-he-who-is-high-must-make/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“No person can ever be called friendless for he has the company of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-r-shankar/no-person-can-ever-be-called-friendless-for-he-has-the-company-of/) I.R. Shankar > [I would rather be friendless than been lied to by fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-wishick/i-would-rather-be-friendless-than-been-lied-to-by-fake-friends/) Rosie Wishick > [“Because if I'm weird And ostracized and friendless It's not personal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-prendergast/because-if-i-m-weird-and-ostracized-and-friendless-it-s-not-personal/) Gabrielle Prendergast > [“Bright and wild like fire. Ha. Friendless and alone like a pathetic loser was more like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-peter-hughes/bright-and-wild-like-fire-ha-friendless-and-alone-like-a-pathetic/) [Mark Peter Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-peter-hughes/) > [“Loneliness wasn't just a state of mind, was it? It was tactile. She could feel it. It was a sixth sense, not in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/loneliness-wasn-t-just-a-state-of-mind-was-it-it-was-tactile-she/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“It is easy to criticize the antisocial, but hard to get close to know what keeps them at bay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-easy-to-criticize-the-antisocial-but-hard-to-get-close-to-know/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Percy Bysshe Shelley > [The everlasting universe of things Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves, Now dark--now glittering--now reflecting gloom-- Now lending splendour, where from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-everlasting-universe-of-things-flows-through-the-mind-and-rolls/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [The quick Dreams, The passion-winged Ministers of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-quick-dreams-the-passion-winged-ministers-of-thought/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/hail-to-thee-blithe-spirit/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [The jealous keys of truth's eternal doors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-jealous-keys-of-truth-s-eternal-doors/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“Though we eat little flesh and drink no wine, Yet let's be merry; we'll have tea and toast; Custards for supper, and an endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/though-we-eat-little-flesh-and-drink-no-wine-yet-let-s-be-merry-we-ll/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [A dream has power to poison sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/a-dream-has-power-to-poison-sleep/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Titles are tinsel, power a corrupter, glorya bubble, and excessive wealth a libel on its possessor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/titles-are-tinsel-power-a-corrupter-glorya-bubble-and-excessive/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-fall-upon-the-thorns-of-life-i-bleed/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“Poets and philosophers are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/poets-and-philosophers-are-the-unacknowledged-legislators-of-the-world/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Dar'st thou amid the varied multitude To live alone, an isolated thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/dar-st-thou-amid-the-varied-multitude-to-live-alone-an-isolated-thing/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Spirit of BEAUTY, that dost consecrate With thine own hues all thou dost shine upon Of human thought or form, where art thou gone?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/spirit-of-beauty-that-dost-consecrate-with-thine-own-hues-all-thou/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [I love tranquil solitude, And such society As is quiet, wise, and good; Between thee and me What difference? but thou dost possess The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-love-tranquil-solitude-and-such-society-as-is-quiet-wise-and-good/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [The practice of utter sincerity towards other men would avail to no good end, if they were incapable of practising it towards their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-practice-of-utter-sincerity-towards-other-men-would-avail-to-no/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Thou shoreless flood, which in thy ebb and flow claspest the limits of mortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/thou-shoreless-flood-which-in-thy-ebb-and-flow-claspest-the-limits-of/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Senseless is the breast and cold Which relenting love would fold; Bloodless are the veins and chill Which the pulse of pain did fill;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/senseless-is-the-breast-and-cold-which-relenting-love-would-fold/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) [Explore all 533 Percy Bysshe Shelley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) ## More Friendless quotes > [“It is easy to criticize the antisocial, but hard to get close to know what keeps them at bay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-easy-to-criticize-the-antisocial-but-hard-to-get-close-to-know/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Loneliness wasn't just a state of mind, was it? It was tactile. She could feel it. It was a sixth sense, not in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/loneliness-wasn-t-just-a-state-of-mind-was-it-it-was-tactile-she/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“Bright and wild like fire. Ha. Friendless and alone like a pathetic loser was more like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-peter-hughes/bright-and-wild-like-fire-ha-friendless-and-alone-like-a-pathetic/) [Mark Peter Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-peter-hughes/) > [“Because if I'm weird And ostracized and friendless It's not personal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-prendergast/because-if-i-m-weird-and-ostracized-and-friendless-it-s-not-personal/) Gabrielle Prendergast > [I would rather be friendless than been lied to by fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-wishick/i-would-rather-be-friendless-than-been-lied-to-by-fake-friends/) Rosie Wishick > [“No person can ever be called friendless for he has the company of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-r-shankar/no-person-can-ever-be-called-friendless-for-he-has-the-company-of/) I.R. Shankar > [He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation. Thus, princes and kings in speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-who-is-great-must-make-humility-his-base-he-who-is-high-must-make/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [We're chipping away at our capacity for wonder. When hologram TVs eventually go on sale, they'll cost £20,000 and be bought only by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/we-re-chipping-away-at-our-capacity-for-wonder-when-hologram-tvs/) [Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/) > [“...anyone looking for friends without faults shall remain friendless. The choice is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/anyone-looking-for-friends-without-faults-shall-remain-friendless-the/) [Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/) > [Would you rather be a friendless loser with self confidence or a popular person with low self-esteem?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-you-rather-be-a-friendless-loser-with-self-confidence-or-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't you worry about that, Mr. Adamsson. Why don't you head back to Reykjavik and spend some of that extortionate fee you charged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/don-t-you-worry-about-that-mr-adamsson-why-don-t-you-head-back-to/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Poem by Howard A. Walter (Character) I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/poem-by-howard-a-walter-character-i-would-be-true-for-there-are-those/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“It is one thing to be sick of your own infirmities and another to understand that the people you love most are sick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/it-is-one-thing-to-be-sick-of-your-own-infirmities-and-another-to/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“You need no other friend if you already have just one friend who truly deserves to be called a friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/you-need-no-other-friend-if-you-already-have-just-one-friend-who/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“LOVE UNASHAMED I am all alone. Who will love me? Who will care? All my efforts have come to naught. Abandoned, forgotten, friendless. Yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/love-unashamed-i-am-all-alone-who-will-love-me-who-will-care-all-my/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) Browse all 66 Friendless quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Percy Bysshe Shelley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-reign/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendless" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-reign/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/percy-bysshe-shelley-476_friendless_to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-re_2605186.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be omnipotent but friendless is to reign.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley", "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": "Percy Bysshe Shelley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be omnipotent but friendless is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-reign/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-be-omnipotent-but-friendless-is-to-reign/#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 } } ] } ```