"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
— Misquotations

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

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This misquote hearkens back to the British Lord Acton, a 19th century English historian who was commenting about tyrannical monarchs (Caesar, Henry VIII, Napoleon, various Russian tsars, etc.). Lord Acton actually wrote: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."