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

This is hardest of all: to close the open hand out of love, and keep modest as a giver.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Buy Thus Spoke Zarathustra at Amazon Buy Thus Spoke Zarathustra at Amazon
Reqd Thus Spoke Zarathustra at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Generosity Nature of love

Author

Friedrich Nietzsche
Source
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Genre
Philosophical literature
Statement Type
Paradox
Language
German
Time
1883 1880s 19th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Also sprach Zarathustra: Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen [Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None]. Chemnitz: Ernst Schmeitzner, 1884, pt. 2.

Current Citation

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Nietzsche: Thus Spoke Zarathustra, edited by Robert Pippin, translated by Adrian Del Caro. Cambridge University Press, 2006, pt. 2.

Another quote about Power

Every Communist must grasp the truth: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Mao Zedong

Read this quote at marxists.org
More information about this quote
Topic
Power Political theory Politics
Speaker
Mao Zedong
Medium
Speech
Genre
Political speech
Language
Chinese
Time
1938 1930s 20th century
Authentication Score 2
Citation

Zedong, Mao. "Problems of War and Strategy." Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party. 6 Nov. 1938, Yan'an, China.

Another quote of the following type Proverbs, aphorisms and adages

O, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!

Sir Walter Scott

Read Marmion at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Consequences of lying Unintended consequences Lying

Author

Sir Walter Scott
Source
Marmion
Medium
Poem
Statement Type
Proverbs, aphorisms and adages
Language
English
Time
1808 1800s 19th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

Scott, Walter, Sir. Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field. Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co./London: William Miller and John Murray, 1808, canto 6, st. 17.