I sell here what the whole world desires – power. Matthew Boulton
Powerful men often succeed through the help of their wives. Powerful women only succeed in spite of their husbands. Lynda Lee-Potter, Daily Mail 16th May 1984
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton, 1834-1902, attributions & variations
The arts of power and its minions are the same in all countries and in all ages. It marks a victim; denounces it; and excites the public odium and the public hatred, to conceal its own abuses and encroachments. Henry Clay, 1777-1852
The lessons of paternalism ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that, while the people should patriotically and cheerfully support their government, its functions do not include the support of the people. Grover Cleveland, 1837-1908
What we’re saying today is that you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. Eldridge Cleaver, American political activist
The most hateful torment for men is to have knowledge of everything but power over nothing. Herodotus, Histories book IX
The power of a man, to take it universally, is his present means, to obtain some future apparent good; and is either original or instrumental. Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679, Leviathan
I put a general inclination of all mankind a perpetual and restless desire of power after power, that ceaseth only in death. ibid.
During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man. ibid.
When the people contend for their liberty, they seldom get anything by their victory but new masters. George Savile, ‘Political, Moral and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections’
Power is so apt to be insolent and Liberty to be saucy, that they are very seldom upon good terms. ibid.
The official world, the corridors of power. C P Snow, Homecomings, 1956
After a man has far more money than he can possibly spend for pleasures what is left to excite him? For those with a ruling-class mentality the answer is power. Raw power over other human beings. Money can buy such power only to a point. Beyond that politics is the sport. World politics is the ultimate game. G Edward Griffin, The Capitalist Conspiracy
An ancient human ambition: the search for limitless power. We are the most power-hungry generation that has ever lived. Energy is the heart-beat of our civilisation. Michael Mosley, The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion, BBC 2010
It is odd, isn’t it, how people hang on to power almost irrespective of whom they hurt and whom they kill in the pursuance of it. Clement Freud, former Liberal MP
When Power want, Power will take unless people stand up to it. John Pilger, lecture Freedom Next Time
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Frederick Douglass
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. Sri Chinmoy Ghose, attributions & variations inc Jim Hendrix and John Lennon
The intellectual power, through words and things,
Went sounding on, a dim and perilous way! William Wordsworth, The Excursion
The good old rule
Sufficeth them, the simple plan,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can. William Wordsworth, Rob Roy’s Grave, 1806
The Corridors of Power: And those who stalk them guard them with jealousy and venom. Chariots of Fire 1981 starring Ben Cross & Ian Charleson & Nicholas Farrell & Nigel Havers & Ian Holm & John Gielgud & Lindsay Anderson & Cheryl Campbell & Nigel Davenport & Patrick McGee, director Hugh Hudson, Harold
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers ... The powers that be are ordained of God. Romans 13:1
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu
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 then the one derived from fear of punishment. Mahatma Gandhi
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. Robert A Heinlein
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. Epictetus
The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. Roseanne Barr
No form of government, once in power, can be trusted to limit its own ambition, to extend freedom and to wither away. This means that it is up to the citizenry, those outside of power, to engage in permanent combat with the state, short of violent, escalatory revolution, but beyond the gentility of the ballot-box, to insure justice, freedom and well-being. Howard Zinn
In a republic this rule ought to be observed: that the majority should not have the predominant power. Marcus Tullius Cicero
When we’ve got these people who have practically limitless powers within a society. If they get a pass without so much as a slap on the wrist, what example does that set for the next group of officials that come into power? To push the lines a little bit further, a little bit further, a little bit further, and we’ll realize that we’re no longer citizens – we’re subjects. Edward Snowden
The dream was not to be. On February 1st 1999 the Clinton administration released its new federal budget: it contained a tiny 3% increase on social programs, meanwhile, $112 billion in new funds were allocated to the military, while the budget of the CIA and other intelligence agencies rose by $29 billion. The Power Principle, 2011
The US now spends as much on war as the rest of the world combined. ibid.
NSC68: ‘A policy which the United States would probably pursue even if there were no Soviet Union’. ibid.
Guatemala didn’t even have diplomatic relations with Russia … Bernays was offered huge sums of money to develop a propaganda campaign against Arbenz and the people of Guatemala. ibid.
‘Under the United Nations flag Lumumba was killed in the Congo.’ ibid. Che Guevara
Under the auspices of the UN, the Belgiums insisted on retaining a strong military presence in the country [Congo]. ibid.
‘The Mafia Principle is correct: if you want to maintain order and discipline you have to make sure there is no disobedience.’ ibid. Chomsky
September 11 1973: the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown in a violent coup-d’etat: it established a military dictatorship. ibid.
When the people of Greece rejected the return of the monarchy the British attacked. ibid.
The brutality of the Contras took its toll … The Contras had raped, tortured and killed unarmed civilians including children … burnt, dismembered, blinded and beheaded. ibid.
The power of the people can be greater than the corporate-ocracy. Abby Martin, Breaking the Set: One Last Time, RT 28.02.15
27 February, Madrid: Protesters clash with security forces over eviction. ibid.
Yet another shooting massacre of 17 students in Parkland, Florida, has brought the issue of corporate lobbying back in the public consciousness with outrage over the National Rifle Association’s power and influence over politicians. Abby Martin, The Empire Files: How Lobbyists Weaponized Transparency, Youtube 2018
That’s 26 lobbyists for every elected representative. ibid.
Transparency has been weaponized. ibid.
Your personal information is gathered and stored everywhere, all the time. Every single thing you do with your cellphone and your computer is registered and analysed by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Twitter to name but a few. All this personal data forms the heart of something called Big Data … This makes all your information very valuable. The Real Value of Your Personal Data, VPRO 2013
All this data reveals things about you. ibid.