--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before we acquire great power we must…" description: "\"Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png" --- # Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to… ![“Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png) > “Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power without wisdom leads to misuse; acquiring knowledge first ensures responsible use of influence. **In simple terms:** Wisdom precedes power. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge before authority. Themes wisdom power responsibility Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - political leadership - corporate governance - technology deployment Key Concepts ethics leadership philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure wisdom? - What safeguards ensure wise use of power? A Different Perspective Wisdom can be subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquire Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquire-great-759430/) [Acquire Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquire-wisdom-419719/) [Great power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-power/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-use-759429/) ## Related quotes > [You can't know it all. No matter how smart you are, no matter how comprehensive your education, no matter how wide ranging your experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-can-t-know-it-all-no-matter-how-smart-you-are-no-matter-how/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [You have on hand those things that you need if you have but the wit and wisdom to use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/you-have-on-hand-those-things-that-you-need-if-you-have-but-the-wit/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Wisdom is the use of knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/wisdom-is-the-use-of-knowledge/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [I'm always looking for ways to explore the politics of the everyday. For me, the proverbs were a way of bringing in this ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherien-dabis/i-m-always-looking-for-ways-to-explore-the-politics-of-the-everyday/) [Cherien Dabis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherien-dabis/) > [Live in the Moment", "Empty Your Mind of the Trash" Wisdom is the Use of Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/live-in-the-moment-empty-your-mind-of-the-trash-wisdom-is-the-use-of/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“Power without the wisdom to use it properly was a very good definition of evil,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-chalker/power-without-the-wisdom-to-use-it-properly-was-a-very-good/) [Jack L. Chalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-l-chalker/) > [“Decisions are the privilege we’ve been granted to have a hand in penning the script of our lives. And in the writing, the question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/decisions-are-the-privilege-we-ve-been-granted-to-have-a-hand-in/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“For the odd thing about wisdom is the more you use it the more it grows; and the more you share, the more you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/for-the-odd-thing-about-wisdom-is-the-more-you-use-it-the-more-it/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [If I ever acquire wisdom, I suppose I'll be wise enough to know what to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-trotti/if-i-ever-acquire-wisdom-i-suppose-i-ll-be-wise-enough-to-know-what/) [Lamar Trotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-trotti/) > [Even youngish men can acquire wisdom as time goes by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bercow/even-youngish-men-can-acquire-wisdom-as-time-goes-by/) [John Bercow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bercow/) > [Acquire wisdom from the story of those who have already passed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uthman-ibn-affan/acquire-wisdom-from-the-story-of-those-who-have-already-passed/) [Uthman ibn Affan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uthman-ibn-affan/) > [“Reading is a time machine that allows you to acquire wisdom from the past and to analyze and imagine another person’s vision of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-rogers/reading-is-a-time-machine-that-allows-you-to-acquire-wisdom-from-the/) [Joshua Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-rogers/) > [Experience gained from day to day life is the best way to acquire wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/experience-gained-from-day-to-day-life-is-the-best-way-to-acquire/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [It is not enough to acquire wisdom, it is necessary to employ it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-is-not-enough-to-acquire-wisdom-it-is-necessary-to-employ-it/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [To appreciate nonsense you must first acquire wisdom, then compromise the two; only then will the fool understand you, and believe himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-chapman/to-appreciate-nonsense-you-must-first-acquire-wisdom-then-compromise/) [Ernest Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-chapman/) ## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Great power quotes > [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [When we have the Spirit to direct us, we are capable of teaching with great power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/when-we-have-the-spirit-to-direct-us-we-are-capable-of-teaching-with/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [The first lesson to learn is to resign oneself to the little difficulties in life, not to hit out at everything one comes up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/the-first-lesson-to-learn-is-to-resign-oneself-to-the-little/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [Gods have great power, but only humans have creativity, the power to change history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/gods-have-great-power-but-only-humans-have-creativity-the-power-to/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/) [Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/) > [If you're going to offer a position of great power and importance to somebody, you're not gonna do that publicly unless you know they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-re-going-to-offer-a-position-of-great-power-and-importance-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Politics is ugly. Never doubt what small men will do for great power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/politics-is-ugly-never-doubt-what-small-men-will-do-for-great-power/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [I didn't want to tell the story of what makes two people come together, although that's a theme of great power and universality. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-didn-t-want-to-tell-the-story-of-what-makes-two-people-come/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-the-great-powers/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Meditation is a sort of prayer and prayer is meditation. The highest meditation is to think of nothing. If you can remain one moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/meditation-is-a-sort-of-prayer-and-prayer-is-meditation-the-highest/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“He nodded sleepily. 'With great power... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-nodded-sleepily-with-great-power-comes-great-need-to-take-a-nap/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [He had learned that close-held secrets could often be cracked by going all the way to the top and there making himself unbearably unpleasant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/he-had-learned-that-close-held-secrets-could-often-be-cracked-by/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The unsaid, for me, exerts great power...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/the-unsaid-for-me-exerts-great-power/) [Louise Glück](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/breathing-meditation-can-quiet-the-mind-open-the-body-and-develop-a/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) [Browse all 325 Great power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-acquire-wisdom-to-use-it-well/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great power" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-acquire-wisdom-to-use-it-well/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_great-power_before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-ac_2470854.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson", "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before we acquire great power we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-acquire-wisdom-to-use-it-well/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/before-we-acquire-great-power-we-must-acquire-wisdom-to-use-it-well/#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 } } ] } ```