--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any wizard bright enough to survive for…" description: "\"Any wizard bright enough to survive for five minutes was also bright enough to realize that if there was any power in demonology, then it lay with the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/terry-pratchett-19_beats_any-wizard-bright-enough-to-survive-for_2292543.jpg" --- # Any wizard bright enough to survive for five minutes was… ![“Any wizard bright enough to survive for five minutes was also bright enough to realize that if there was any power in demonology, then it lay with the demons. Using it for your own purposes would be like trying to beat mice to death with a rattlesnake.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/terry-pratchett-19_beats_any-wizard-bright-enough-to-survive-for_2292543.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/terry-pratchett-19_beats_any-wizard-bright-enough-to-survive-for_2292543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/terry-pratchett-19_beats_any-wizard-bright-enough-to-survive-for_2292543.jpg) > “Any wizard bright enough to survive for five minutes was also bright enough to realize that if there was any power in demonology, then it lay with the demons. Using it for your own purposes would be like trying to beat mice to death with a rattlesnake.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power that originates from malevolent sources cannot be safely used for good purposes. **In simple terms:** Using evil power is dangerous. Key Takeaway Avoid exploiting harmful forces. Themes ethics power danger Mood cautious thoughtful Type cautionary literary When to use this quote - political strategy - technology development - personal ambition - spiritual practice Key Concepts moral philosophy mythology Questions to Reflect On - Can any corrupt power be redeemed? - What alternatives exist to achieve goals? A Different Perspective Sometimes evil can be harnessed for greater good. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beats/) [Demon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon/) [Demons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demons/) [Demons Using](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demons-using-5391865/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Lay Demons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lay-demons-5391868/) [Mice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mice/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Power Demonology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-demonology-5391866/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Rattlesnakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rattlesnakes/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Wizard Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wizard-bright-5391867/) [Wizards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wizards/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not the world's greatest expert, but I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, ... broomsticks and spells would have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-m-not-the-world-s-greatest-expert-but-i-would-have-thought-that-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Firstly,” said Ponder, “Mr Pessimal wants to know what we do here.” “Do? 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It went against everything a wizard stood for, and a wizard would not stand for anything if he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/be-one-of-the-crowd-it-went-against-everything-a-wizard-stood-for-and/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“My father always said, he said, “Do not peddle in the affairs of wizards...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/my-father-always-said-he-said-do-not-peddle-in-the-affairs-of-wizards/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [He helped the Librarian up. There was a red glow in the ape's eyes. It had tried to steal his books. This was probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-helped-the-librarian-up-there-was-a-red-glow-in-the-ape-s-eyes-it/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The wizards were good at wind, weather being a matter not of force but of lepidoptery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-wizards-were-good-at-wind-weather-being-a-matter-not-of-force-but/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The library was full of wizards, who care about their books in the same way that ants care about their eggs and in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-library-was-full-of-wizards-who-care-about-their-books-in-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“It was like ... like wizardry, but without the wizards and the mess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-was-like-like-wizardry-but-without-the-wizards-and-the-mess/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Good so be would you if, duff plum of helping second A," said the Bursar. 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Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [If you don't like club beats take a HIT OF E and you will love the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/if-you-don-t-like-club-beats-take-a-hit-of-e-and-you-will-love-the/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/every-pitcher-can-beat-you-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-you-are/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. 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