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

But what will become of men then? I asked him, without God and immortal life?

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov

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Read The Brothers Karamazov at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Decline of religion Death of God Existence of God God

Author

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Source
The Brothers Karamazov
Medium
Novel
Statement Type
Question
Language
Russian
Time
1880 1880s 19th century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. "Братья Карамазовы [The Brothers Karamazov]." The Russian Messenger, Jan. 1879 - Nov. 1880. Serial.

Current Citation

Dostoevsky, Feodor. The Brothers Karamazov, translated by David McDuff. Penguin Classics, 2003.

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

The apparel oft proclaims the man.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet

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Read Hamlet at The Folger Shakespeare Library
More information about this quote
Topic
Personal brand Image Clothes make the man Clothing
Speaker
Lord Polonius

Author

William Shakespeare
Source
Hamlet
Medium
Play
Genre
Tragedy (play)
Statement Type
Proverbs, aphorisms and adages
Language
English
Time
1616 1610s 17th century
Era
European Renaissance
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. London: Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, 1623, act 1, sc. 3.

Current Citation

Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, et al., 3rd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2015, act 1, sc. 3.