Power Quotes

"The power of authority can override our personal moral compass if we allow it to."

"Power without accountability inevitably corrupts, even with the best intentions."

"Power comes not from internal will, but from understanding and manipulating environmental contingencies."

"Perhaps the most fundamental lesson of our study is that ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process."

"What is fascinating is the willingness of people to submit to authority."

"The shock generator became a kind of symbol of authority."

"The prods used by the experimenter—'You must continue' and 'You have no choice'—were remarkably effective."

"The white coat of the experimenter conveyed scientific legitimacy and moral authority."

"The experimenter's authority rested not on force but on the assumption of legitimacy."

"The shock generator served as a concrete representation of abstract authority."

"Authority operates most effectively when its commands align with institutional legitimacy."

"Authority legitimacy can be established through nothing more than symbols and institutional affiliation."

"Authority operates most effectively when it appears neutral, scientific, and impersonal."

"The greatest power we have is the ability to choose our own thoughts."

"The power to change is within you; you need only decide to use it."

"Power corrupts, but the absence of power can corrupt absolutely in different ways."

"The psychology of authority reveals why people obey without question."

"The stage and costume can transform even the most ethical person."

"In the presence of authority, we often lose the authority over our own thoughts."

"The group possesses a kind of gravity that pulls even the strongest minds toward agreement."

"The group speaks with a single voice because we have trained ourselves to listen only to that voice."

"The evidence of our own senses can be overridden by the consensus of the group."

"The majority does not rule because it is right; it rules because we have agreed to let it."

"The charm of fame is so great that we like every object to which it is attached, even death."

"Ambition feeds on the admiration of others; true worth feeds on itself."

"Self-love is the love of oneself by oneself; it is perpetual and universal."

"Power corrupts those who lack wisdom to wield it."

"Power derives from understanding and controlling stimuli."

"Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable."

"Social influence works not through force, but through our desire to understand ourselves and our world."