"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Lord Acton
PowerCorruption
Power Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · POWER
Power Quotes
Best power quotes from Lord Acton, Lao Tzu, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Shakespeare and Tagore: 200 lines on strength, influence and inner power.
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Robert G. Ingersoll
PowerCharacter
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."
Alice Walker
Personal PowerBelief
"Knowledge is power."
Francis Bacon
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
Frederick Douglass
PowerRights
"Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power."Lao Tzu
Self-MasteryStrength
"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."Marcus Aurelius
MindStrength
"Power is the ability to do good things for others."
Brooke Astor
PowerKindness
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic."Martin Luther King Jr.
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."Mahatma Gandhi
StrengthWillpower
"The power of imagination makes us infinite."
John Muir
"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse."
Edmund Burke
PowerAbuse
"Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power."
Seneca
Self-MasteryPower
"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about."
Margaret J. Wheatley
CommunityChange
"The power of the people is much stronger than the people in power."
Wael Ghonim
PeoplePower
"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment."Mahatma Gandhi
"Character is power."Booker T. Washington
CharacterPower
"The power of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doing."
Blaise Pascal
VirtueCharacter
"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark."Swami Vivekananda
Inner PowerSelf-Belief
"Strength is life, weakness is death."Swami Vivekananda
"Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power."
John Steinbeck
"They that have power to hurt and will do none... They rightly do inherit heaven's graces."William Shakespeare
RestraintVirtue
"O, it is excellent To have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant."William Shakespeare
PowerTyranny
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."William Shakespeare
LeadershipBurden
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it."
William Pitt the Elder
PowerCorruption
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About Power Quotes
# Power Quotes
Power is one of the most debated forces in human life. Lord Acton warned that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," while Lao Tzu taught that mastering others is strength, but mastering yourself is true power. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that power without love is reckless, and love without power is sentimental.
This collection gathers the best power quotes on strength, influence, leadership, self-mastery, knowledge and the power of the mind, from Shakespeare, Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nelson Mandela and many more. Some warn against the abuse of power, while others celebrate the quiet inner power every person carries.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Power quotes.
What is the most famous quote about power?
The best-known is Lord Acton's "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," from an 1887 letter. Another classic is the line often credited to Lincoln but more likely from Robert G. Ingersoll: "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."
What did Lao Tzu say about power?
Lao Tzu taught that "Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power." He also used the image of water: soft and yielding, yet able to wear away rock, a reminder that gentle persistence can be stronger than force.
What did Martin Luther King Jr. say about power and love?
Dr. King said, "Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." He believed real change comes when power is guided by love and justice.
What are some quotes about inner power and strength?
Swami Vivekananda said, "All the powers in the universe are already ours," and Gandhi taught that strength "comes from an indomitable will." Maya Angelou reminded us, "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated," and Eleanor Roosevelt said no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
What are some famous quotes about the abuse of power?
Edmund Burke warned that "the greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse," Montesquieu observed that "every man invested with power is apt to abuse it," and William Pitt the Elder said unlimited power "is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it."
How can I use power quotes?
Power quotes work well for motivational posts, leadership training, speeches, essays on ethics and government, classroom discussions and personal journaling. Many people choose a quote about self-mastery or inner strength as a daily reminder of their own potential.