ProverbWisdom
English origin1887
English origin1887Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely
Meaning: Unchecked authority inevitably erodes moral judgment, making total control the most dangerous concentration of human influence.
Who said it? Lord Acton, letter to Bishop Creighton, 1887
Origin: From an 1887 letter by the historian Lord Acton to Bishop Mandell Creighton, arguing that popes and kings should be judged by the same moral standards as anyone else: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The proverb usually drops Acton's "tends to," making it more absolute than he intended.
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