Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Letter ·230 of 348
"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
They never said that.
What people say
"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."
What was actually said
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton — Lord Acton, letter to Bishop Creighton (1887)
Why it stuck
The popular form drops "tends to" — a hedge that softened Acton's claim. Without it, the maxim reads more absolute than the original.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.