> Power doesn't corrupt; it reveals.

That's true, but it's easy to misrepresent if you don't include another important insight:

"I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides." -- Lord Vetinari (by way of Terry Pratchett)

Really? I call. There has to at least be a shade even though I think he was incorrect.

Because otherwise all bosses would be equally shitty and you would not be able to foresee with uttermost certainty how bad people will become shitty bosses when promoted to power.

It is equally obvious in the military how you know who will turn out to be really bad people once promoted to sergeants.

> would be equally shitty [emphasis added]

It's "always bad", not "always equally bad".

The upshot is that "Okay, we just need to find someone who power will reveal is not shitty." does not and cannot work in the general case (of amounts of power sufficently large to be worth abusing - your 'good' sergeants are still sergeants, not generals or absolute autocrats).

If everyone is "bad" the term losing its meaning.

You could argue that with more power people will mess up more in absolute terms. If you are powerfully enough small misteps could crush people.

That's a good way to put it. It's very accurate to the extent I understand most humans.

It is a shame that Lincoln did not actually say these words that are attributed to him:

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-abrahamlincoln-pow...

Both.

Yeah, did Hitler get corrupted by power? No, power just enabled him to realize the ideals he had held since he was a nobody.

Hitlers 'ideals' (in so much as the label applies) and ideas developed considerably (as did has ambition) as he came into more and more power.