Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.

Lord Acton

More information about this quote

Topic

Abuse of power Power Great men Corruption

Speaker

Lord Acton

Source

Letters of Lord Acton

Medium

Letter

Statement Type

Proverbs, aphorisms and adages

Language

English

Time

1887 1880s 19th century

Occupation

Politician Writer

From

United Kingdom Europe

Authentication Score 0

Citation

Lord Acton. Letter to Archbishop Mandell Creighton. 5 Apr. 1887.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Lord Acton about abuse of power: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men…”
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A quote by Lord Acton about abuse of power: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men…”
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A quote by Lord Acton about abuse of power: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1880s

What is originality? To see something that has no name as yet and hence cannot be mentioned although it stares us all in the face.

Friedrich Nietzsche

The Gay Science

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Read The Gay Science at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Originality Perception Observation Vision

Author

Friedrich Nietzsche
Source
The Gay Science
Genre
Philosophical literature
Statement Type
Question
Language
German
Time
1882 1880s 19th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Die frohliche Wissenschaft [The Gay Science]. Chemnitz: Ernst Schmeitzner, 1882, bk. 3, no. 261.

Current Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Joyous Science, translated by R. Kevin Hill. Penguin Classics, 2019, bk. 3, no. 261.

Another quote about Power

Power is the great aphrodisiac.

Henry Kissinger

Read this quote at the New York Times
More information about this quote
Topic
Attraction Power

Author

Henry Kissinger
Source
The New York Times
Medium
Newspaper
Language
English
Time
1971 1970s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Kissinger, Henry. Quoted in "Foreign Policy: Kissinger at Hub." Written by Hedrick Smith. The New York Times, 19 Jan. 1971.

Another quote of the following type Proverbs, aphorisms and adages

Haste makes Waste.

Poor Richard (Benjamin Franklin)

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Read this proverb at the National Archives website
More information about this quote
Topic
Haste Carelessness

Author

Poor Richard (Benjamin Franklin)
Source
Poor Richard's Almanack
Medium
Almanac
Statement Type
Proverbs, aphorisms and adages
Language
English
Time
1753 1750s 18th century
Era
Colonial America
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Franklin, Benjamin [published as Richard Saunders]. Poor Richard Improved. Philadelphia, 1753.

Current Citation

Franklin, Benjamin. "Poor Richard Improved." Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings, edited by J. A. Leo Lemay. Library of America, 2005.