--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: imperceptible, element of contempt for…" description: "\"“imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate another human soul if one knows, understands, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png" --- # imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the… ![“imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate another human soul if one knows, understands, and with the utmost tact despises the person one is subjugating.” quote by Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png) > ““imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate another human soul if one knows, understands, and with the utmost tact despises the person one is subjugating.”” [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful domination requires intimate contempt, making subjugation a calculated, cruel act. **In simple terms:** Domination needs deep disdain. Key Takeaway Beware of contempt in authority. Themes power domination psychology ethics Mood cautionary critical Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - Leadership - political strategy - personal relationships Key Concepts Moral corruption psychological manipulation Questions to Reflect On - What motivates a leader to despise those they control? - Can empathy replace contempt in power dynamics? A Different Perspective Even with tact, contempt harms both parties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) [Human soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-soul/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [“Every exercise of power incorporates a faint, almost imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/every-exercise-of-power-incorporates-a-faint-almost-imperceptible/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [One can descend by imperceptible degree from the most perfect creature to the most shapeless matter, from the best-organised animal to the roughest mineral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/one-can-descend-by-imperceptible-degree-from-the-most-perfect/) [Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/) > [Man is an imperceptible atom always trying to become one with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/man-is-an-imperceptible-atom-always-trying-to-become-one-with-god/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [In trying to be perfect, He perfected the art of anonymity, Became imperceptible And arrived nowhere from nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/in-trying-to-be-perfect-he-perfected-the-art-of-anonymity-became/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“IMPERCEPTIBLE IMPELLENT God exists in the heart, not in the show of religious alignment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/imperceptible-impellent-god-exists-in-the-heart-not-in-the-show-of/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [“Imperceptible, adj. We stopped counting our relationship in dates (first date, second date, fifth, date, seventh) and started counting it in months. That might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/imperceptible-adj-we-stopped-counting-our-relationship-in-dates-first/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [What knowledge is there of which man is capable that is not founded on the exterior,--the relation that exists between visible and invisible, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/what-knowledge-is-there-of-which-man-is-capable-that-is-not-founded/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [We see only the simple motion of descent, since that other circular one common to the Earth, the tower, and ourselves remains imperceptible. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/we-see-only-the-simple-motion-of-descent-since-that-other-circular/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [All this visible world is but an imperceptible point in the ample bosom of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-this-visible-world-is-but-an-imperceptible-point-in-the-ample/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [To become imperceptible oneself, to have dismantled love in order to become capable of loving. To have dismantled one's self in order finally to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/to-become-imperceptible-oneself-to-have-dismantled-love-in-order-to/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [Tiny details imperceptible to us decide everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tiny-details-imperceptible-to-us-decide-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Imperceptible It withers in the world, This flower-like human heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/imperceptible-it-withers-in-the-world-this-flower-like-human-heart/) [Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/) > [There is no aspect of our experience not molded in some way by metaphor's almost imperceptible touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/there-is-no-aspect-of-our-experience-not-molded-in-some-way-by/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [Organized religion has a part in the evolution of personal religion. It is the material upon which personal religion is grafted, but the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-montagu/organized-religion-has-a-part-in-the-evolution-of-personal-religion/) Lily Montagu > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) ## More by Sándor Márai > [Time is a purgatory that has cleansed all fury from my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/time-is-a-purgatory-that-has-cleansed-all-fury-from-my-memories/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“Friendship is no ideal state of mind; it is a law, and a strict one, on which the entire legal systems of great cultures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/friendship-is-no-ideal-state-of-mind-it-is-a-law-and-a-strict-one-on/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [There is no pain like the pain of knowing you love someone but cannot live with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-is-no-pain-like-the-pain-of-knowing-you-love-someone-but-cannot/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“Tomorrow, everyone who is beautiful will come under suspicion. As will those with talent and those with character.” His voice was hoarse. “Don’t you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/tomorrow-everyone-who-is-beautiful-will-come-under-suspicion-as-will/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [Is disinterest not the essence of every human relationship?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/is-disinterest-not-the-essence-of-every-human-relationship/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“There is this question of otherness….So just as it is blood alone that binds people to defend one another in the face of danger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-is-this-question-of-otherness-so-just-as-it-is-blood-alone-that/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“One can get closer to reality and the facts by using words, questions and answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/one-can-get-closer-to-reality-and-the-facts-by-using-words-questions/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“I returned from the West, and brought home in my nostrils and nerves that benumbing lethargy, imprudent hostility, and arrogant superiority with which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/i-returned-from-the-west-and-brought-home-in-my-nostrils-and-nerves/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“There are worse things than suffering and death... it is worse to lose one's self-respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/there-are-worse-things-than-suffering-and-death-it-is-worse-to-lose/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“Vienna wasn't just a city, it was a tone that either one carries forever in one's soul or one does not. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/vienna-wasn-t-just-a-city-it-was-a-tone-that-either-one-carries/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [No, the secret is that there's no reward and we have to endure our characters and our natures as best we can, because no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/no-the-secret-is-that-there-s-no-reward-and-we-have-to-endure-our/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“To nie komputer jest winien, ze przeważająca większość ludzi dziś jest w dalszym ciagu głupia, tylko sam człowiek, który w każdej cywilizacji, a więc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/to-nie-komputer-jest-winien-ze-przewa-aj-ca-wi-kszo-ludzi-dzi-jest-w/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“You can even make facts lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/you-can-even-make-facts-lie/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [“Byla neurčitelná a nezařaditelná, jako by ji úplne nepojímala žádná národnost a třída, jako by se příroda jednou pokusila vytvořit samostatnou nezávislou a svobodnou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/byla-neur-iteln-a-neza-aditeln-jako-by-ji-plne-nepoj-mala-dn-n/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) > [We all of us must come to terms with what and who we are, and recognize that this wisdom is not going to earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/we-all-of-us-must-come-to-terms-with-what-and-who-we-are-and/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) [Explore all 63 Sándor Márai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) ## More Contempt quotes > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There is no real elevation of mind in a contempt of little things; it is, on the contrary, from too narrow views that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/there-is-no-real-elevation-of-mind-in-a-contempt-of-little-things-it/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [Much of the same sort of degraded and filthy talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/much-of-the-same-sort-of-degraded-and-filthy-talk-can-still-be-heard/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Contempt for an assailant is best shown by bravery in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/contempt-for-an-assailant-is-best-shown-by-bravery-in-action/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Every person of any rank in the left, from voter on up to cabinet member to elected official in the Democrat Party, has contempt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-person-of-any-rank-in-the-left-from-voter-on-up-to-cabinet/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [“opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jabari-asim/opprobrious-term-employed-to-impose-contempt-upon/) [Jabari Asim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jabari-asim/) > [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) [Browse all 1,034 Contempt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contempt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate another human soul if one knows, understands, and with the utmost tact despises the person one is subjugating.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sándor Márai" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-those-over-whom-the-power-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contempt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-those-over-whom-the-power-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/s-ndor-m-rai-3978_contempt_imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-th_1106062.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“imperceptible, element of contempt for those over whom the power is exercised. One can only dominate another…” — Sándor Márai", "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": "Sándor Márai", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“imperceptible, element of contempt for those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-those-over-whom-the-power-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/imperceptible-element-of-contempt-for-those-over-whom-the-power-is/#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 } } ] } ```