“With great power comes great responsibility” is probably the greatest quote made famous by American pop culture. And it still rings true. In fact, because it is an unchanging truth, it will ring true regardless of current opinions, culture, or anything else.

At its heart, this means that power is a responsibility, a responsibility to do good.

You see, the power actually resides in the people, and if you have power, it is because they have given it to you. And they have given it to you to use for their benefit.

Now there is also another quote: “Power…corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote, by John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, is also true, unfortunately so. But it shouldn’t be.

So why is it true?

The answer is simple: those who receive power tend to forget where they got it from. And when they forget, they forget that it is a responsibility. And then they don’t see anything wrong with using their power to act for themselves.

If you have power, and this includes influence, use it for good; you have been given that power to use it responsibly.