“All empire is no more than power in trust.”
Pt. I line 411.
Absalom and Achitophel (1681)
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John Dryden 196
English poet and playwright of the XVIIth century 1631–1700Related quotes
Statement of President Obama on the death of Vaclav Havel (18 December 2011) http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/18/statement-president-obama-death-vaclav-havel
2011
Context: Having encountered many setbacks, Havel lived with a spirit of hope, which he defined as “the ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.” His peaceful resistance shook the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness of a repressive ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any weapon. He played a seminal role in the Velvet Revolution that won his people their freedom and inspired generations to reach for self-determination and dignity in all parts of the world.
“In leadership, no word is more important than trust.”
“Lust of absolute power is more burning than all the passions”
cupido dominandi cunctis adfectibus flagrantior est
Book XV, 53
Annals (117)
“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”
“Old empires always appeal to modern poets more than new ones.”
"The Rise of James Fenton," http://www.danagioia.net/essays/efenton.htm published in The Dark Horse (Autumn 1999 and Summer 2000)
Essays
“Mind, even more deadly to empires than to individuals, erodes them, compromises their solidity.”
History and Utopia (1960)