Power is a poison well known for thousands of years. If only no one were ever to acquire material power over others! But to the human being who has faith in some force that holds dominion over all of us, and who is therefore conscious of his own limitations, power is not necessarily fatal. For those, however, who are unaware of any higher sphere, it is a deadly poison. For them there is no antidote.
Interpretation
Power can corrupt those who are unaware of its dangers, while those with faith in a higher purpose can wield it wisely.
In this quote, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn discusses the dual nature of power. He suggests that while power can be destructive, especially for those who seek it without understanding its implications, it can also be managed responsibly by those who recognize their own limitations and the existence of a greater moral force. This awareness can serve as a safeguard against the corrupting influence of power, indicating that wisdom and faith can transform power from a perilous drug into a responsible tool for good.
In practice
In a speech about ethical leadership, one might invoke this quote to illustrate the importance of humility.
At what point, then, should one resist? When one's belt is taken away? When one is ordered to face into a corner? When one crosses the threshold of one's home? An arrest consists of a series of incidental irrelevancies, of a multitude of things that do not matter, and there seems no point in arguing about one of them individually...and yet all these incidental irrelevancies taken together implacably constitute the arrest.
To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good... Ideology - that is what gives devildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others' eyes, so that he won't hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors.
Today when we say the West we are already referring to the West and to Russia. We could use the word 'modernity' if we exclude Africa, and the Islamic world, and partially China.
To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots.
Like a bicycle, like a wheel that, once rolling, is stable only so long as it keeps moving but falls when its momentum stops, so the game between a man and woman, once begun, can exist only so long as it progresses. If the forward movement today is no more than it was yesterday, the game is over.
It's an universal law-- intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.
For me, justice is the prime condition of humanity.
All imperfections are forced upon the imperfect, so the 'perfect' can live content and oblivious.
Too many people take New York for granted. The primary reason is that history is not taught. That's outrageous in a city where the past is still visible.
It's just a feeling I have. What you see with your eyes is not necessarily real. My enemy is, among other things, the me inside me.
Fundamentally, footballers don't look around a dressing room and think, 'He's a black player... he's Japanese.' They don't think like that. They think, 'He's a good player; he can help. He's not very good.' I'm not trying to defend anyone's actions, but there are going to be isolated incidents because it's an emotive, passionate sport.
All such action would cease if those powerful elemental forces were to cease stirring within us.
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