“GREAT MEN ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BAD MEN….”

“GREAT MEN ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BAD MEN….” The Murray review uses Lord Acton’s language in explaining the badness of lords. Murray says: “power tended to corrupt, then as now, and it made the early 12th-century lord a paradigm of tyranny.” Lord Acton’s phrase is given in this wikipedia article. The line is often quoted: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I think Acton’s next words are as important and should be quoted as often (even if to take issue): “Great men are almost always bad men….”