Power Corrupts Quotes

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  Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

  Lord Acton

  Inspirational, Leadership, Work

  Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 3 April 1887, in Louise Creighton 'Life and Letters of Mandell Creighton' (1904) vol. 1, ch. 13.

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  Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

  Abraham Lincoln

  Inspirational, Leadership, Wisdom

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• I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.

  Abraham Lincoln

  Country, Money, Hands

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• All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.

  Frank Herbert

  War, Magnet, Anti War

  "Chapterhouse: Dune".

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• Absolute power corrupts absolutely; and if you surrender your personal responsibility to a government which promises to take care of you, they will only take care of themselves.

  Howard Nemerov

  Responsibility, Government, Promise

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• Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.

  George Bernard Shaw

  Power, Men, Intellectual

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• Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption.

  James A. Garfield

  Inspirational, Ignorance, Character

  Garfield, James A. (1882). “The works of James Abram Garfield. Volume 2”, p.486, Best Books on

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• It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

  Aung San Suu Kyi

  Inspirational, Motivational, Fear

  Aung San Suu Kyi (1991). “Freedom from fear: and other writings”, Penguin (Non-Classics)

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• Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from others the submissiveness of sheep. The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its anti-humanity.

  Eric Hoffer

  Sheep, People, Humanity

  Eric Hoffer (1982). “Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer”, HarperCollins Publishers

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• Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.

  Edward Abbey

  Power, Anarchy, Worst

  Edward Abbey (2015). “A Voice Crying in the Wilderness”, p.21, RosettaBooks

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• The true terrorists of our world do not meet at the docks at midnight, or scream "Allahu Akbar" before some violent action. The true terrorists of our world wear 5000 dollar suits and work in the highest positions of finance, government and business.

  Peter Joseph

  Our World, Government, Suits

  "Zeitgeist: Addendum". Documentary, History, War, www.imdb.com. 2008.

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• When plunder becomes a way of life, men create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.

  Frederic Bastiat

  Life, Money, Men

  "Economic Sophisms". Book by Frédéric Bastiat, Second series, 1848.

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• The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

  James Madison

  Power, Hands, Essence

  James Madison, Ralph Ketcham “Selected Writings of James Madison”, Hackett Publishing

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• Power corrupts, and there is nothing more corrupting than power exercised in secret.

  Daniel Schorr

  Secret, Secrecy

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• Power doesn't corrupt people; people corrupt power.

  William Gaddis

  Power, People, Dictator

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• I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power...power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

  Lord Acton

  Kings, Power, Men

  Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 3 April 1887, in Louise Creighton 'Life and Letters of Mandell Creighton' (1904) vol. 1, ch. 13.

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• It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.

  David Brin

  Power, Corruption, Favourite

  David Brin (1997). “The Postman”, GuildAmerica Books

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• A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.

  Edward Abbey

  Inspirational, Country, Freedom

  Edward Abbey (2015). “A Voice Crying in the Wilderness”, p.17, RosettaBooks

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  Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.

  John Adams

  Leadership, Character, Persistence

  "I’ll Vote for That" by Katharine Rose, www.huffingtonpost.com. January 22, 2015.

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• Power corrupts. Knowledge is power. Study hard. Be evil.

  Eleanor Roosevelt

  Learning, Knowledge And Power, Evil

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• There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power.

  William Henry Harrison

  Nature, Military, Exercise

  David A. Durfee, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, United States. President (1841-1845 : Tyler) (1970). “William Henry Harrison, 1773-1841: John Tyler, 1790-1862; chronology, documents, bibliographical aids”, Oceana Pubns

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• Crime is contagious....if the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for the law.

  Louis D. Brandeis

  War, Government, Law

  Olmstead v. United States (dissenting opinion) (1928)

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• All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.

  Frank Herbert

  Government, People, Drunk

  Frank Herbert (1987). “Chapterhouse: Dune”, p.60, Penguin

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• The story being told in 'Star Wars' is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency to do the same things over and over again. Power corrupts, and when you're in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they're actually not.

  George Lucas

  Stars, War, Thinking

  "George Lucas on 'Star Wars,' 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' and his own legacy". Interview with Steve Silverman, www.wired.com. May 1, 2005.

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  It is not power that corrupts but fear.

  Aung San Suu Kyi

  Wielding Power, Corrupt Power, Corruption

  Aung San Suu Kyi (1991). “Freedom from fear: and other writings”, Penguin (Non-Classics)

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