--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Genius as an explosive power beats…" description: "\"Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and if knowledge, which should give that power guidance, is wanting, the chances are not small tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png" --- # Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and… ![“Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and if knowledge, which should give that power guidance, is wanting, the chances are not small that the rocket will simply run amuck among friends and foes.” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png) > “Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and if knowledge, which should give that power guidance, is wanting, the chances are not small that the rocket will simply run amuck among friends and foes.” [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful intellect without direction can become destructive, causing chaos among allies and enemies alike. **In simple terms:** Uncontrolled genius can cause harm. Key Takeaway Guide knowledge with purpose. Themes knowledge power responsibility Mood cautious reflective Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - scientific research - technological innovation - political strategy - military planning Key Concepts ethics leadership risk management Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your talents serve the greater good? - What safeguards can prevent misuse of expertise? A Different Perspective Without ethical guidance, brilliance may backfire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Foe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foe/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Guidance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guidance/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Rockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rockets/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [Genius, as an explosive power, beats gunpowder hollow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpowder-hollow/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There is explosive power in virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/there-is-explosive-power-in-virtue/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) > [If there is a small rocket on top of a big one, and if the big one is jettisoned and the small one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-oberth/if-there-is-a-small-rocket-on-top-of-a-big-one-and-if-the-big-one-is/) [Hermann Oberth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-oberth/) > [“I had concocted the gunpowder myself from niter, sulfur, charcoal, and a happy heart. When working with explosives, I've found that attitude is everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-concocted-the-gunpowder-myself-from-niter-sulfur-charcoal-and-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/if-you-shut-up-truth-and-bury-it-under-the-ground-it-will-but-grow/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [In T20s you need explosive power, but it's not just a power game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayank-agarwal/in-t20s-you-need-explosive-power-but-it-s-not-just-a-power-game/) [Mayank Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayank-agarwal/) > [“If you shut up the truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow and gather to itself such explosive power that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hamilton/if-you-shut-up-the-truth-and-bury-it-under-the-ground-it-will-but/) [Tyler Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hamilton/) > [I know that I have explosive power in both hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermell-charlo/i-know-that-i-have-explosive-power-in-both-hands/) [Jermell Charlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermell-charlo/) > [What gunpowder did for war, the printing-press has done for the mind; and the statesman is no longer clad in the steel of special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/what-gunpowder-did-for-war-the-printing-press-has-done-for-the-mind/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood… Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/my-nostrils-dilate-while-savoring-the-acrid-odor-of-gunpowder-and/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [“The Chinese people had invented the compass, paper, the printing press, gunpowder, the seismograph, the crossbow, and the umbrella; they had sailed to Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hessler/the-chinese-people-had-invented-the-compass-paper-the-printing-press/) [Peter Hessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hessler/) > [Remember, remember the 5th of November.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fawkes/remember-remember-the-5th-of-november/) Guy Fawkes > [All civilization in a sense exists only in the mind. Gunpowder, textile arts, machinery, laws, telephones are not themselves transmitted from man to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-l-kroeber/all-civilization-in-a-sense-exists-only-in-the-mind-gunpowder-textile/) Alfred L. Kroeber > [What do nations care about the cost of war, if by spending a few hundred millions in steel and gunpowder they can gain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-nations-care-about-the-cost-of-war-if-by-spending-a-few/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) ## More by Thomas Huxley > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There is nothing of permanent value (putting aside a few human affections) nothing that satisfies quiet reflection--except the sense of having worked according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/there-is-nothing-of-permanent-value-putting-aside-a-few-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/economy-does-not-lie-in-sparing-money-but-in-spending-it-wisely/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/it-is-not-to-be-forgotten-that-what-we-call-rational-grounds-for-our/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Only a scientific people can survive in a scientific future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/only-a-scientific-people-can-survive-in-a-scientific-future/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [In science, as in art, and, as I believe, in every other sphere of human activity, there may be wisdom in a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-science-as-in-art-and-as-i-believe-in-every-other-sphere-of-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Science is simply common sense at its best, that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/science-is-simply-common-sense-at-its-best-that-is-rigidly-accurate/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Oh devil! truth is better than much profit. 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That I take to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-matters-of-the-intellect-do-not-pretend-that-conclusions-are/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [And you very soon find out, if you have not found it out before, that patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/and-you-very-soon-find-out-if-you-have-not-found-it-out-before-that/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [No one who has lived in the world as long as you & I have, can entertain the pious delusion that it is engineered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/no-one-who-has-lived-in-the-world-as-long-as-you-i-have-can-entertain/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Mix salt and sand, and it shall puzzle the wisest of men, with his mere natural appliances, to separate all the grains of sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/mix-salt-and-sand-and-it-shall-puzzle-the-wisest-of-men-with-his-mere/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [What are the moral convictions most fondly held by barbarous and semi-barbarous people? They are the convictions that authority is the soundest basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/what-are-the-moral-convictions-most-fondly-held-by-barbarous-and-semi/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) [Explore all 278 Thomas Huxley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## 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 > [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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They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,311 Beats quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and if knowledge, which should give that power guidance, is wanting, the chances are not small that the rocket will simply run amuck among friends and foes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Huxley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpowder-hollow-and-if-knowledge/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpowder-hollow-and-if-knowledge/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cc/thomas-huxley-1183_beats_genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpo_2544907.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Genius as an explosive power beats gunpowder hollow; and if knowledge, which should give that power…” — Thomas Huxley", "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": "Thomas Huxley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Genius as an explosive power beats...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpowder-hollow-and-if-knowledge/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/genius-as-an-explosive-power-beats-gunpowder-hollow-and-if-knowledge/#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 } } ] } ```