--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only difference between a futile…" description: "\"“The only difference between a futile madman and an effective tyrant is power and will.”\" — Sheri S. Tepper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/sheri-s-tepper-8133_tyrant_the-only-difference-between-a-futile-mad_671763.jpg" --- # The only difference between a futile madman and an… ![“The only difference between a futile madman and an effective tyrant is power and will.” quote by Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/sheri-s-tepper-8133_tyrant_the-only-difference-between-a-futile-mad_671763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/sheri-s-tepper-8133_tyrant_the-only-difference-between-a-futile-mad_671763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/754/sheri-s-tepper-8133_tyrant_the-only-difference-between-a-futile-mad_671763.jpg) > ““The only difference between a futile madman and an effective tyrant is power and will.”” [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power and will distinguish ineffective madness from effective tyranny. **In simple terms:** Will plus power makes a tyrant effective. Key Takeaway Recognize the role of will in power. Themes power will leadership Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political leadership - organizational management - activism Key Concepts political theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives your use of power? - Can will be tempered by morality? A Different Perspective Will alone cannot justify ethical governance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difference Futile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-futile-5331916/) [Effective Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-tyrant-5331914/) [Futile Madman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/futile-madman-5331915/) [Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant/) [Tyrant Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant-power-3490570/) ## Related quotes > [Man is not by nature a tyrant, but becomes a tyrant by power conferred on him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/man-is-not-by-nature-a-tyrant-but-becomes-a-tyrant-by-power-conferred/) [Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/) > [“The tyrant has power to play as long as he is the master in his surroundings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilantha-ilangamuwa/the-tyrant-has-power-to-play-as-long-as-he-is-the-master-in-his/) [Nilantha Ilangamuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilantha-ilangamuwa/) > [Still when the lust of tyrant power succeeds, some Athens perishes, or some Tully bleeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/still-when-the-lust-of-tyrant-power-succeeds-some-athens-perishes-or/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical; in relationship to others, anyone can become a tyrant. That's why no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/if-you-re-not-perfectly-conscious-of-yourself-that-self-can-be/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [A tyrant does not remain in the world; But the curse on him abides forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-tyrant-does-not-remain-in-the-world-but-the-curse-on-him-abides/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [“Death is a great tyrant; none can overthrow him. Life is a priceless ruby; none can afford it. Eternity is a noble mistress; none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/death-is-a-great-tyrant-none-can-overthrow-him-life-is-a-priceless/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Because if you don't know how to manage time, time can rule you like a tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-partnoy/because-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-manage-time-time-can-rule-you-like-a/) [Frank Partnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-partnoy/) > [ \[It is a basic principle of a tyrant\] to unarm his people of weapons, money and all means whereby they resist his power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-is-a-basic-principle-of-a-tyrant-to-unarm-his-people-of-weapons/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Love reigns a very tyrant in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/love-reigns-a-very-tyrant-in-my-heart/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-only-tyrant-i-accept-in-this-world-is-the-still-small-voice-within/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“The smart tyrant flatters the people with words,while with deeds he destroys them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoli-rybakov/the-smart-tyrant-flatters-the-people-with-words-while-with-deeds-he/) [Anatoli Rybakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoli-rybakov/) > [Faith is not about serving some tyrant in the sky that says, 'You need to get your act together.' Faith is about having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/faith-is-not-about-serving-some-tyrant-in-the-sky-that-says-you-need/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Sheri S. Tepper > [“We're so old that the winds of age echo along our ribs and pick at our eye sockets. We could be gone tomorrow. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/we-re-so-old-that-the-winds-of-age-echo-along-our-ribs-and-pick-at/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Conflict acting on intelligence creates imagination. Faced with conflict, creatures are forced to imagine what will happen, where the next threat will come from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/conflict-acting-on-intelligence-creates-imagination-faced-with/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“cultures define their gods when they’re young and primitive, when their main concern is survival. They endow their gods with survival characteristics like omnipotence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/cultures-define-their-gods-when-they-re-young-and-primitive-when/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been able to go from house to car to office to car to wherever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/do-you-realize-it-s-been-only-a-century-that-we-ve-been-able-to-go/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [ \[T\]he scripture worshippers put the writings ahead of God. Instead of interpreting God's actions in nature, for example, they interpret nature in the light… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/t-he-scripture-worshippers-put-the-writings-ahead-of-god-instead-of/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“They will set aside what they have believed about the world, divesting themselves of all preconceptions, all judgments… They will do it, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/they-will-set-aside-what-they-have-believed-about-the-world-divesting/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“If the law does not do justice, the people will mock the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/if-the-law-does-not-do-justice-the-people-will-mock-the-law/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“Faith healers. God-loves-you religions. State-supported lotteries. All that enormous energy expended to conquer nothing at all, stadia full of people watching no conquering going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/faith-healers-god-loves-you-religions-state-supported-lotteries-all/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [The sooner we can separate salvageable skeptics from self-righteous absolutists, the sooner we can move along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/the-sooner-we-can-separate-salvageable-skeptics-from-self-righteous/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [There are writers who say they have no social responsibility except to write a good book, but that doesn't satisfy me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/there-are-writers-who-say-they-have-no-social-responsibility-except/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“Rich people didn't get in that kind of mess. They never had. Only the poor got trapped: by ignorance, by religion, by self-righteous laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/rich-people-didn-t-get-in-that-kind-of-mess-they-never-had-only-the/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [The expression of divinity is in variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/the-expression-of-divinity-is-in-variety/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [I will raise up prophets to make conflicting pronouncements that inevitably will be garbled in transcription, resulting in mutually exclusive definitions of orthodoxy from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/i-will-raise-up-prophets-to-make-conflicting-pronouncements-that/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Mankind accepts good fortune as his due, but when bad occurs, he thinks it was aimed at him, done to him, a hex, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/mankind-accepts-good-fortune-as-his-due-but-when-bad-occurs-he-thinks/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“He told us that nations of men fell into disorder, so nations of law were set up instead. He told us that nations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/he-told-us-that-nations-of-men-fell-into-disorder-so-nations-of-law/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) [Explore all 80 Sheri S. Tepper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) ## More Tyrant quotes > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Faith is not about serving some tyrant in the sky that says, 'You need to get your act together.' Faith is about having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/faith-is-not-about-serving-some-tyrant-in-the-sky-that-says-you-need/) [Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [“The smart tyrant flatters the people with words,while with deeds he destroys them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoli-rybakov/the-smart-tyrant-flatters-the-people-with-words-while-with-deeds-he/) [Anatoli Rybakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoli-rybakov/) > [The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-only-tyrant-i-accept-in-this-world-is-the-still-small-voice-within/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [Love reigns a very tyrant in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/love-reigns-a-very-tyrant-in-my-heart/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [ \[It is a basic principle of a tyrant\] to unarm his people of weapons, money and all means whereby they resist his power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-is-a-basic-principle-of-a-tyrant-to-unarm-his-people-of-weapons/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [“Because if you don't know how to manage time, time can rule you like a tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-partnoy/because-if-you-don-t-know-how-to-manage-time-time-can-rule-you-like-a/) [Frank Partnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-partnoy/) > [“Death is a great tyrant; none can overthrow him. Life is a priceless ruby; none can afford it. Eternity is a noble mistress; none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/death-is-a-great-tyrant-none-can-overthrow-him-life-is-a-priceless/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [A tyrant does not remain in the world; But the curse on him abides forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-tyrant-does-not-remain-in-the-world-but-the-curse-on-him-abides/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical; in relationship to others, anyone can become a tyrant. That's why no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/if-you-re-not-perfectly-conscious-of-yourself-that-self-can-be/) [Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/) > [“The tyrant is asleep to beauty and awake to ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-emmet/the-tyrant-is-asleep-to-beauty-and-awake-to-ugliness/) [Joshua Emmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-emmet/) > [“You don’t get to be a favorite at a tyrant’s court without beheading your principles every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-don-t-get-to-be-a-favorite-at-a-tyrant-s-court-without-beheading/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gaider/if-you-cannot-tell-me-another-way-do-not-brand-me-a-tyrant/) [David Gaider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gaider/) [Browse all 219 Tyrant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only difference between a futile madman and an effective tyrant is power and will.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheri S. 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