We should grant power over affairs only to those who are reluctant to hold it and then only under conditions that increase the reluctance.
Book 1985
Chapterhouse: Dune quotes
About the book
The sixth Dune novel. With Arrakis destroyed, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood hides on its secret world, Chapterhouse, from the violent Honored Matres, while it turns the planet into a new desert to raise sandworms and plans its own survival.
6 quotes
Power attracts the corruptible. Suspect all who seek it.
All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly…
All governments needed to remain under suspicion during their time of power. Trust no government! Not even mine!
We tend to become like the worst in those we oppose.
The writing of history is largely a process of diversion. Most historical accounts distract attention from the secret influences behind every great event.