“The incentive to ambition is the love of power.”
Power reveals character. These quotes explore authority, influence, control, and the recurring lesson of history that power is dangerous precisely because it feels so good to the person who has it.
“In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.”
“The incentive to ambition is the love of power.”
“It seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America's power. It has been the symbol of our great nation. We look at the symbol and we say 'this is one nation under God.'”
“It was R.E.M. who showed other Eighties bands how to get away with ignoring the rules - they lived in some weird town nobody never heard of, they didn't play power chords, they probably couldn't even spell 'spandex.' All they had was songs.”
“If you think of paying court to the men in power, your eternal ruin is assured.”
“If the Holy Spirit can take over the subconscious with our consent and cooperation, then we have almighty Power working at the basis of our lives, then we can do anything we ought to do, go anywhere we ought to go, and be anything we ought to be.”
“Never underestimate the power of the State to act out its own massive fantasies.”
“'Smart power' is the use of American power in ways that would help prevent and resolve conflict - not just send our military in.”
“Men should think twice before making widow hood woman's only path to power.”
“The only real power comes out of a long rifle.”
“The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away.”
“The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect them.”
“I learned a good deal about economics, and about America, from the author of the Reagan tax reforms - the great Jack Kemp. What gave Jack that incredible enthusiasm was his belief in the possibilities of free people, in the power of free enterprise and strong communities to overcome poverty and despair. We need that same optimism right now.”
“In a world awash in debt, power shifts to creditors.”
“In our natural state, we are glorious beings. In the world of illusion, we are lost and imprisoned, slaves to our appetites and our will to false power.”
“Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.”