Ῥέπει ἡ ἄρχη διαφθείρειν, καὶ ἄρχη ἀνέδην διαφθείρει ἀνέδην. Οἱ ἀνθρώποι μεγάλοι σχεδὸν ἀεί εἰσιν ἀνθρώποι κακοί, καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες τὴν ῥοπὴν μηδὲ τὴν ἐξουσίαν· μᾶλιστα εἰ ἐπιποιεῖται τὸ φυσίωμα ἣ παγιότης τῆς δεσποτείᾱς εἰς τὸ διαφθείρειν. Οὔκ
ἐστι αἵρεσις κακī́ων ἢ ὅτι ἡ ἀρχὴ τὸν ἄρχοντα
ἁγνίζει.
(Rhépei
hē árchē diaphtheírein, kai árchē anédēn diaphtheírei anédēn. Hoi anthrṓpoi
megáloi schedon aeí eisin anthrṓpoi kakoí, kai hoi échontes tēn rhopēn mēde tēn
exousían; mâlista ei epipoieîtai to physíōma hē pagiótēs tēs despoteíās eis to
diaphtheírein. Oúk esti haíresis kakī́ōn ē hóti hē archē ton árchonta hagnízei.)
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they
exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency
or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than the
fact that the office sanctifies the holder of it.
—Lord Acton
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