“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“Despotic power is always accompanied by corruption of morality.”
--Lord Acton
These quotes are strikingly apropos for us today, so let’s look at who said them. Lord Acton was a liberal Catholic English historian and politician. He spoke out against nationalism, racism, and bigotry. He defended religious and political freedom.
From acton.org:
He argued that the church faithfully fulfills its mission by encouraging the pursuit of scientific, historical, and philosophical truth, and by promoting individual liberty in the political realm.
… the historian's search for truth entails the obligation to make moral judgments on history, even when those judgments challenge the historian's own deeply held opinions.
Lord Acton was considered one of the most learned people of his age, unmatched for the breadth, depth, and humanity of his knowledge. He has become famous to succeeding generations for his observation —learned through many years of study and first-hand experience—that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”