Power Quotes

"The state's monopoly on violence is its defining characteristic."

"The chief's authority evaporates when he ceases to give."

"Power becomes invisible when it becomes institutionalized."

"The state's greatest achievement is making its domination seem natural."

"Power operates through cultural meanings as much as through force."

"Power without wisdom is destruction"

"Power is the ability to maintain difference"

"In ritual, the powerless often wield the greatest influence."

"Power relationships are embedded in every social interaction and institution."

"Power in society is maintained through both force and the consent of the governed."

"Power without understanding is destructive."

"Power without compassion corrupts absolutely."

"Power is not just something that constrains; it is also productive, creating the very subjects it seems to control."

"Ideology is most powerful when it operates invisibly, when we mistake our particular way of life for the natural order."

"Society maintains itself through countless small acts of conformity."

"Every classification system is an act of power."

"Institutions survive through making their rules seem natural and inevitable."

"The boundaries we draw are boundaries we must constantly police and reinforce."

"Power lies not in force but in understanding relationships."

"Language shapes reality; those who control language shape the world."

"Liminality is dangerous because it unmasks the constructed nature of all social order."

"Power is the ability to shape reality."

"Power corrupts without principle."

"Power without wisdom is destruction; wisdom without power is ineffectual."

"There is no greater power than the power of habit."

"Authority and power are legitimized through ritual and ceremonial practice."

"Power without wisdom is tyranny."

"Power is most noble when used for good."

"You have to decentralize power to the people who do the work every day."

"Power without compassion becomes tyranny."