To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
I used to think I had no will to power. Now I perceive that I vented it on thoughts, rather than people. Conquering an unknown province of knowledge. Getting the better of a problem. Forcing ideas to associate or come apart. Bullying recalcitrant words to assume a certain pattern. All the fun of being a dictator without any risks and responsibilities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the power of thought and knowledge rather than exerting will over others.
Aldous Huxley's quote explores the concept of willpower as it pertains to intellectual pursuits rather than interpersonal dominance. He acknowledges a transformation in his perception, realizing that his will was channeled into conquering ideas and problems, suggesting that true power lies in the mastery of knowledge and creativity rather than authoritarian control.
Themes
WillpowerKnowledgeThoughtIdeasIntellect
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech on the importance of knowledge, one could use this quote to emphasize the power of intellectual exploration.
More from Aldous Huxley
All quotes →Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous HuxleyRead
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
Aldous HuxleyRead
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
Aldous HuxleyRead
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
Aldous HuxleyRead
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Similar quotes
Whoever is not made glorified by taqwa can find no glory.
Al-ShafiiRead
The rains of Life's Blessings cannot gather on mountaintops of pride, but flow easily into valleys of humbleness.
Paramahansa YoganandaRead
Truly it has been said that there is nothing new under the sun, _x000D_ for knowledge is revealed and is submerged again, even as a nation rises and falls. _x000D_ Here is a system, tested throughout the ages, but lost again and again by ignorance or prejudice, _x000D_ in the same way that great nations have risen and fallen _x000D_ and been lost to history beneath the desert sands and in the ocean depths.
ParacelsusRead
Those who knew Benjamin Franklin will recollect that his mind was forever young, his temper ever serene; science, that never grows gray, was always his mistress. He was never without an object, for when we cease to have an object, we become like an invalid in a hospital waiting for death.
Thomas PaineRead
As a writer, the best mindset is to be unafraid.
Malcolm GladwellRead
Solve all your problems through meditation. Exchange unprofitable religious speculations for actual God-contact. Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life. Through man's ingenuity for getting himself into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful.
Lahiri MahasayaRead