This quote is an opinion. The person that said this could have meant a number of things by it. However, I believe this quote to be true. Power corrupts. This means, to me, that when a person has power somehow they are corrupted or that the person with the power, corrupts the things they have power over. The next part of the quote is "absolute power corrupts absolutely," this means that a person with absolute power will absolutely corrupt him/herself or the things they have power over. In past history there have been a number of cases where this quote comes in place. The most recent event that I can think of is former president Richard Nixon. He was in charge of the United States; in other words he had power over the country. He was elected once and when his term ran out he ran again. It wasn't sure thing he would win the next election so he tried to "fix" the votes. He was so "corrupted" by power that it consumed him and he would do anything to get back in office. This is only one example. An example of "absolute power" corruption is one of the most famous events in history. Adolf Hitler had power over Germany. Some people say he could have been a great leader. Somehow in the process of being in power of his country, an army and people he became corrupted by his power. Like so many other famous people in history they become consumed in their power and want more and more. Unfortunately they are also brought down by that fault. My point of view is that not all people with power will be corrupt or will become corrupt. In US history it shows we had a lot of great and powerful leaders. George Washington for example had to make the foundation of our country. He never became corrupt and thanks to him our country is still standing
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
This quote shows how the importance of dictatorial power in a “savage” society. Power is the most important thing when there are no boundaries to society.…
- 1652 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
"A strength to harm is perilous in the hand of an ambitious head." Elizabeth I. I think the meaning behind this quote is that power is dangerous in the hand of an dangerous ambitious persons grasp and that power can also be dangerous if you don't know how to control it.…
- 675 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Power can change people in a way that is incomprehensible either for good or for evil. Power can make one so greedy that someone will do anything for it and won’t let anyone, or thing stand in their way. Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays both the positive and negative uses on Power through the main characters. Macbeth’s greed of power allowed him to exercise abuse and ultimately he was corrupted and destroyed by power. Lady Macbeth used power in a positive way but her ultimate goal was domination of the Crown. Shakespeare uses dialogue and symbolism to allow his readers to engage with his mood and therefore the concepts of power.…
- 889 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In The Odyssey, "Greenpeace Gets a New Leader", and Great Expectations, those in positions of power use their authority and status in both positive and negative ways. Across all three texts, power is used to inspire, corrupt and oppress.…
- 530 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Lord Acton, a great historian and politician, once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Clearly Acton echoed William Shakespeare, as this theme was portrayed in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, complacency amongst civilians, mutiny, and struggles for power plague the ancient city of Rome, all of which are deeply rooted in the corruption surrounding the government at the time. Shakespeare ultimately reveals that power corrupts, not only the individual who has it, but the society without.…
- 539 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I choose this quote because there are many things in this day and age that it can apply to. Right now there is a lot of controversy between the government, the police and other major topics. Drug dealers pay off law enforcement to look the other…
- 496 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
When a person is in power, situations arouse where they can acquire anything by lying, bribing, conning, or stealing. With these in mind anybody in power could easily become a powerful foe.…
- 991 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
“Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases” (BrainyQuote). James Adams’ quote states that power is the root of evil in society. As soon as we are born into this world, society already starting to corrupt our innocence. In The Lord of The Flies, William Golding, uses Jack and Ralph to display that man is born into the world innocent, but as time passes, is corrupted by evil and power within society.…
- 837 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
This article implies that all politicians are corrupt because they do not represent the people, and that they only represent themselves. The author goes as far to state that America’s political system is so corrupt, that an entire new political system should be created to avoid tyranny. The fact that modern day politicians are self-serving is tyrannical, and ultimately unconstitutional.…
- 510 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Power as a corrupting force has been present from the beginning of time and is often revealed in many works of literature. In the novel Frankenstein by Marry Shelly and Macbeth by William Shakespeare, corruption of power is well brought forth in the characters in both texts. In both stories, characters reveal power as a corrupting force through their thirst of knowledge. Characters also reveal power as a corrupting force through character change. In addition, the character’s action justify how corrupted they really are. Therefore, power corrupts the individuals because of character’s extreme ambition which leads to their demise.…
- 2326 Words
- 10 Pages
Good Essays -
One way this quote shows in today's society is with the presidential elect Trump. He has many strengths and weaknesses. He will be pushed out of his comfort zone. He is a very excellent business man but he has a temper problem. He lashes out on people when they don't agree with him, or if they criticize him. When he takes office on January 20th, 2017 he will be faced with many problems. People want recognize him for the things he has done his whole life but when he does stuff that he has no experience with. People want to see him get…
- 483 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength….” This quote by Henry Ward Beecher means that in order to be great, you do not need to be powerful; you just need to know how to use your power appropriately. I agree with this quote because most people that are great are not the strongest. Instead they use what they have to become great. The quote can be seen in The Color Purple by Alice Walker.…
- 850 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
History has shown that power corrupts and power corrupts absolutely. Anyone is capable of hubris leading to their downfall. In the famous tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is prompted by the prophecy of the weird sisters that he will become king. Macbeth leads a tyrannical reign, and he will stop at nothing to keep his throne secure. Macbeth transforms from a soft and heroic leader to an arrogant and destructive dictator because of his enormous hubris.…
- 510 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Or we can take the power, quite literally, into our own hands. We can search, browse, learn, tweet, text, snap and we have the ability to know everything. Any ounce of knowledge that we can possibly want is at our fingertips. All of the power can reside with us. Which can only be good if we know how to use it. Which, as I’m sure we all have had experience with, we absolutely don’t. We all ignored Uncle Ben’s advice and didn’t care that with great power comes great responsibility. We just take it, and run full steam ahead; regardless of the outcome.…
- 694 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the words of Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton “ Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, this quote not only pertains to real life but also pertains to William Shakespeare's murderous play,Macbeth, by showing humans obsession and desire for power. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as just a loyal and brave soldier, who has become close to the king, Duncan. When Macbeth revives the witches prophecy he decides to let fate control his destiny rather than doing something about it himself : “If chance will have me king,why chance may crown me king without my stir” (1:3.257-58). He makes this judicious decision with wit and honor for not only the king but himself. Even lady macbeth soliloquies about…
- 1192 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays