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Anime and Manga
Sanity? I never had such a useless thing in the first place!
— Zaraki Kenpachi, Bleach
Comic Books
Nova: Look at [the Annihilation Wave]. Millions of them. Don't you just want to stop and dish some out?
Worldmind: No. That would not be appropriate.
Nova: Yes, dad.
Worldmind: Richard, concentrate on your breathing. Elevated stress and aggression can impair your ability to manage the burden of the Nova Force.
Nova: (grinning maniacally) Burden? It feels like I've got a star singing inside me. I could do anything.
Worldmind: Attention, Richard. It is critical that you-
Nova: I could do anything and nothing could stop me!
Worldmind: No. That would not be appropriate.
Nova: Yes, dad.
Worldmind: Richard, concentrate on your breathing. Elevated stress and aggression can impair your ability to manage the burden of the Nova Force.
Nova: (grinning maniacally) Burden? It feels like I've got a star singing inside me. I could do anything.
Worldmind: Attention, Richard. It is critical that you-
Nova: I could do anything and nothing could stop me!
— Annihilation: Nova
Fan Works
Kyril could see that this used to be Shamuhaza, the sorcerer had indeed given up far too much. He managed to get his hands on power, but in the end the price had been his very sanity and soul.
Film — Animated
EPA Official: Sir, I'm afraid you've gone mad with power.
Russ Cargill: Of course I have! You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring! No one listens to you!
Russ Cargill: Of course I have! You ever tried going mad without power? It's boring! No one listens to you!
Film — Live-Action
Armin Zola: Schmidt believes he walks in the footsteps of the gods. Only the world itself will satisfy him.
Col. Phillips: You do realize that's nuts, don't you?
Armin Zola: The sanity of the plan is of no consequence.
Col. Phillips: And why is that?
Armin Zola: Because he can do it!
Col. Phillips: You do realize that's nuts, don't you?
Armin Zola: The sanity of the plan is of no consequence.
Col. Phillips: And why is that?
Armin Zola: Because he can do it!
Peter Drak: Power doesn't make you good, Dave. It just makes you powerful.
Literature
Power corrupts. Absolute power is even more fun!
— Simon Travaglia, Bastard Operator from Hell
Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them.
— Tyrion Lannister, A Clash of Kings
Witches didn't fear much, Miss Tick had said, but what the powerful ones were afraid of, even if they didn't talk about it, was what they called "going to the bad." It was too easy to slip into careless little cruelties because you had power and other people hadn't, too easy to think other people didn't matter much, too easy to think that ideas like right and wrong didn't apply to you. At the end of that road was you dribbling and cackling to yourself all alone in a gingerbread house, growing warts on your nose.
Hear now the words of my ruling.
I am not blind to the needs of the Imperium, but nor am I blind to the realities of the hearts of men. I hear men speak of knowledge and power as though they are abstract concepts to be employed as simply as a sword or gun. They are not. Power is a living force, and the danger with power is obsession. A man who attains a measure of power will find it comes to dominate his life until all he can think of is the acquisition of more. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but few can stand the ultimate test of character, that of wielding power without succumbing to its darker temptations.
Peering into the darkness to gain knowledge of the Warp is fraught with peril, for it is an inconstant place of shifting reality, capricious lies and untruths. The seeker after truth must have a care he is not deceived, for false knowledge is far more dangerous than ignorance. All men wish to possess knowledge, but few are willing to pay the price. Always men will seek to take the short cut, the quick route to power, and it is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that will lure him to evil ways. True knowledge is gained only after the acquisition of wisdom. Without wisdom, a powerful person does not become more powerful, he becomes reckless. His power will turn on him and eventually destroy all he has built.
I have walked paths no man can know and faced the unnameable creatures of the Warp. I understand all too well the secrets and dangers that lurk in its hidden darkness. Such things are not for lesser minds to know; no matter how powerful or knowledgeable they believe themselves to be. The secrets I have shared serve as warnings, not enticements to explore further. Only death and damnation await those who pry too deeply into secrets not meant for mortals.
I see now I have allowed my sons to delve too profoundly into matters I should never have permitted them to know even existed. Let it be known that no one shall suffer censure, for this conclave is to serve Unity, not discord. But no more shall the threat of sorcery be allowed to taint the warriors of the Astartes. Henceforth, it is my will that no Legion will maintain a Librarius department. All its warriors and instructors must be returned to the battle companies and never again employ any psychic powers.
Woe betide he who ignores my warning or breaks faith with me. He shall be my enemy, and I will visit such destruction upon him and all his followers that, until the end of all things, he shall rue the day he turned from my light.
I am not blind to the needs of the Imperium, but nor am I blind to the realities of the hearts of men. I hear men speak of knowledge and power as though they are abstract concepts to be employed as simply as a sword or gun. They are not. Power is a living force, and the danger with power is obsession. A man who attains a measure of power will find it comes to dominate his life until all he can think of is the acquisition of more. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but few can stand the ultimate test of character, that of wielding power without succumbing to its darker temptations.
Peering into the darkness to gain knowledge of the Warp is fraught with peril, for it is an inconstant place of shifting reality, capricious lies and untruths. The seeker after truth must have a care he is not deceived, for false knowledge is far more dangerous than ignorance. All men wish to possess knowledge, but few are willing to pay the price. Always men will seek to take the short cut, the quick route to power, and it is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that will lure him to evil ways. True knowledge is gained only after the acquisition of wisdom. Without wisdom, a powerful person does not become more powerful, he becomes reckless. His power will turn on him and eventually destroy all he has built.
I have walked paths no man can know and faced the unnameable creatures of the Warp. I understand all too well the secrets and dangers that lurk in its hidden darkness. Such things are not for lesser minds to know; no matter how powerful or knowledgeable they believe themselves to be. The secrets I have shared serve as warnings, not enticements to explore further. Only death and damnation await those who pry too deeply into secrets not meant for mortals.
I see now I have allowed my sons to delve too profoundly into matters I should never have permitted them to know even existed. Let it be known that no one shall suffer censure, for this conclave is to serve Unity, not discord. But no more shall the threat of sorcery be allowed to taint the warriors of the Astartes. Henceforth, it is my will that no Legion will maintain a Librarius department. All its warriors and instructors must be returned to the battle companies and never again employ any psychic powers.
Woe betide he who ignores my warning or breaks faith with me. He shall be my enemy, and I will visit such destruction upon him and all his followers that, until the end of all things, he shall rue the day he turned from my light.
— The Emperor of Mankind at the Council of Nikaea, A Thousand Sons
Garrett: So if talents do one thing, what do mages do?
Arianna: Mages do all the things... Specifically, they can make all the things do what they want. Rearranging reality breaks them in the end, and those who manage to put the pieces back together never quite get it right. A single broken mage can be dealt with by their extended community...
Garrett: Like a rabid dog.
Arianna: Mages do all the things... Specifically, they can make all the things do what they want. Rearranging reality breaks them in the end, and those who manage to put the pieces back together never quite get it right. A single broken mage can be dealt with by their extended community...
Garrett: Like a rabid dog.
"To be God, Nathan, is to be the Devil."
— Nathaniel Treeves, Mordew
Live-Action TV
"Hey, Clark, if anything can turn a law-abiding citizen into a card-carrying serial-killer, it's Kryptonite."
— Chloe, Smallville
Mirror T'Pol: You heard the captain. He's delusional!
Mirror Phlox: It's not a delusion if the captain has the power to do what he says. And from what I've seen he certainly does.
Mirror Phlox: It's not a delusion if the captain has the power to do what he says. And from what I've seen he certainly does.
"With great power comes the absolute certainty that you'll turn into a right cunt."
— Billy Butcher, The Boys (2019)
Zemo: The desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path. She will not stop, she will escalate until you are forced to kill her. Or she kills you.
Bucky: Maybe you're wrong, Zemo. The serum never corrupted Steve.
Zemo: Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?
Bucky: Maybe you're wrong, Zemo. The serum never corrupted Steve.
Zemo: Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?
Music
Power gets to your head,
I know 'cuz it's changing mine!
I know 'cuz it's changing mine!
— Jt Machinima, "Want It All"
Video Games
Is sanity the price to pay... for power?
— Dante, Devil May Cry 4
You've lost your mind.
— Monsoon after seeing Raiden turn into Jack the Ripper, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Giygas cannot think rationally any more, and he isn't even aware of what he is doing now. His own mind was destroyed by his incredible power... What an Almighty Idiot!
— Porky Minch, EarthBound
Sense is for the weak!
— Midbus, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Sanity... is for the weak!
— Chaos Space Marine, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
If you ask me, these Templars are just as crazy as my brother. What is it about Psionic energy that seems to drive them so completely mad?
— The Hunter, XCOM 2
Those who do not know the dangers of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it.
— Lanayru the Light Spirit, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Do you have any idea how good this feels? I did this. Tiny little Wheatley did this.
— Wheatley, Portal 2
I USED TO BE NOTHING BUT THE E_MAIL GUY, NOW I'M THE [[It Burns! Ow! Stop! Help Me! It Burns!]] GUY!
[[Amazed at thi5 amazing transformation? You too can]] HAVE A [[Communion]] WITH [[Unintelligble Laughter]]
[[Amazed at thi5 amazing transformation? You too can]] HAVE A [[Communion]] WITH [[Unintelligble Laughter]]
— Spamton, Deltarune
To faeiries, the power of flame magic can be so intense that it eventually consumes one's soul entirely, resulting in a complete loss of sanity. Mulciber are no exception in this matter, with many of them displaying questionable levels of mental stability. On the battlefield they simply go berserk, becoming unstoppable until they burn out of energy completely.
— Archive entry on Mulciber, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
Western Animation
The voices... They tell me to freeze the world... I am the end and the beginning. I am the hand of madness.
— Ice Prince Finn, Adventure Time
This magic keeps me alive, but it's making me crazy,
And I need to save you, but who's going to save me?
Please forgive me for whatever I do,
When I don't remember you.
And I need to save you, but who's going to save me?
Please forgive me for whatever I do,
When I don't remember you.
— Simon Petrikov, Adventure Time
Check out Dexter Douglas!
Nerd computer ace!
Went surfing on the internet,
And was zapped to cyberspace!
He turned into the Freakazoid,
He's strong and super-quick!
He drives the villains crazy,
'Cause he's a lunatic!
Nerd computer ace!
Went surfing on the internet,
And was zapped to cyberspace!
He turned into the Freakazoid,
He's strong and super-quick!
He drives the villains crazy,
'Cause he's a lunatic!
— Freakazoid! theme song
¡'Why do you have to look up to her?
Aside from in a literal sense
Don't you know that a power that big
Comes with a bigger expense?''
Aside from in a literal sense
Don't you know that a power that big
Comes with a bigger expense?''
— Pearl, "Strong in the Real Way," Steven Universe
Real Life
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.
— Lord Acton
I have both held and beheld unlimited power and of it I know but one thing. It drives men mad.
The [presidential] chair is accursed! Any good men that sit on it become evil.
— Emiliano Zapata, who was quite horrified when he was asked to sit on the Presidential Chair for a photograph along with several other revolutionary leaders
