3 ms·
> Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a m
by maxFlow 4y ago
> Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. (...) -- Ingersoll
- Cupertino95014 4y agoFunny, I thought Lyndon Johnson said that. Maybe he was just quoting it.
- maxFlow 4y agoI also had it wrong, and thought it came from Lincoln originally. Per Reuters Fact Check team: > Misattributed. There is no evidence Lincoln ever made such a statement about testing a man’s character. The author appears to be Robert G. Ingersoll, who used this phrase to describe the 16th president of the United States on several occasions in the 1890s [1]. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-power/fact-check-test-a-mans-character-quote-misattributed-to-abraham-lincoln-idUSL1N2PA1V7 https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-pow...
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y agoThere's a difference between knowing and understanding and the older I get the more I understand just how true this is. I would also add the cliche that with power comes responsibilities and most people don't respect that responsibility. Mistakes happen and obliviousness is a thing (communication is never perfect), but I've been shocked by how cavalierly some people will wield power that has real effects on other human beings many times in the past.