--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people who get into power in the…" description: "\"Most people who get into power in the western world start with great intentions, but slowly they all become entrapped and hung by their own petard.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg" --- # Most people who get into power in the western world start… ![“Most people who get into power in the western world start with great intentions, but slowly they all become entrapped and hung by their own petard.” quote by David A. Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg) > “Most people who get into power in the western world start with great intentions, but slowly they all become entrapped and hung by their own petard.” David A. Stewart ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power often corrupts; initial good intentions erode into self‑inflicted traps. **In simple terms:** Power corrupts intentions. Key Takeaway Beware hubris in leadership. Themes politics corruption hubris Mood cautious reflective Type warning political When to use this quote - government service - corporate leadership - activism - policy making Key Concepts self‑deception ethical decay Questions to Reflect On - How do structures protect against self‑sabotage? - Can good intentions survive long‑term power? A Different Perspective Idealism can be eroded by systemic incentives and personal ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-power/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The people in power have created an obesity epidemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/the-people-in-power-have-created-an-obesity-epidemic/) [Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/) > [“People have the power we give them. Words have the power we give them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/people-have-the-power-we-give-them-words-have-the-power-we-give-them/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [“But freedom and human happiness has a direct relationship to the number of people who have power over their own world, their own lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/but-freedom-and-human-happiness-has-a-direct-relationship-to-the/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [We have to convince people that they have the power to elect people. The people they are electing are the ones making the decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/we-have-to-convince-people-that-they-have-the-power-to-elect-people/) [Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/) > [Are you able to restore to those people the time when their freedom was denied them? If you have evidence for goodness sake produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/are-you-able-to-restore-to-those-people-the-time-when-their-freedom/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [In the South, people in power feel they don't have to answer to no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ray-hinton/in-the-south-people-in-power-feel-they-don-t-have-to-answer-to-no-one/) [Anthony Ray Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ray-hinton/) > [“People with power do not regulate their behavior as much. They become egocentric and preoccupied with their own self-interest, which eclipses their awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-m-schroeder/people-with-power-do-not-regulate-their-behavior-as-much-they-become/) [Dean M. Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-m-schroeder/) > [The people have to have the power: it belongs to the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hampton/the-people-have-to-have-the-power-it-belongs-to-the-people/) [Fred Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hampton/) > [When people with power see things happen of which they disapprove, they drop bombs and send in tanks. When people without power see things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-with-power-see-things-happen-of-which-they-disapprove/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ We, the people, do have the power to stop \[the\] tragic waste of resources if we regard it as socially unacceptable to waste food. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/we-the-people-do-have-the-power-to-stop-the-tragic-waste-of-resources/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [I am interested in power, too, but power for you, the people, not power for bureaucrats and politicians and officeholders and all the like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-am-interested-in-power-too-but-power-for-you-the-people-not-power/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Allowing us to zoom in on small subsets of people is the third power of Big Data.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/allowing-us-to-zoom-in-on-small-subsets-of-people-is-the-third-power/) [Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/) > [People power. It has no limits. In politics, every politician in Ukraine is afraid of that. They know, if people go to the streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/people-power-it-has-no-limits-in-politics-every-politician-in-ukraine/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [I'm very excited to see where the characters and their relationships go. But in the end, it really boils down to the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-routh/i-m-very-excited-to-see-where-the-characters-and-their-relationships/) [Brandon Routh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-routh/) > [“People have the power to change their perspective. They just get caught up in an endless cycle of foolish things that don’t matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-magee/people-have-the-power-to-change-their-perspective-they-just-get/) [Jamie Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-magee/) ## More by David A. Stewart > [I know that Annie Lennox has saved my life quite a few times, and I never forget that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/i-know-that-annie-lennox-has-saved-my-life-quite-a-few-times-and-i/) David A. Stewart > [I was a manic and eccentric kid. In my head I was very busy, so I must have seemed weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/i-was-a-manic-and-eccentric-kid-in-my-head-i-was-very-busy-so-i-must/) David A. Stewart > [I like people who are minimalist with their words. Jack Nicholson thinks a lot then says something, and it's always spot on. Nelson Mandela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/i-like-people-who-are-minimalist-with-their-words-jack-nicholson/) David A. Stewart Explore all 4 David A. Stewart quotes ## More Become quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [If someone has the opportunity to become a model, I would say, 'Do it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/if-someone-has-the-opportunity-to-become-a-model-i-would-say-do-it/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I had a talent for copying the signatures of dignitaries like Indira Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan and so on. So, I wanted to become someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/i-had-a-talent-for-copying-the-signatures-of-dignitaries-like-indira/) [Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/) > [In the Tea Party era, it is the restless conservative Republican who has become passion's plaything, the toy of impetuous romance, an erotomania only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/in-the-tea-party-era-it-is-the-restless-conservative-republican-who/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [You can never tell when a commercial space venture will suddenly become viable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/you-can-never-tell-when-a-commercial-space-venture-will-suddenly/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [My first bill to become law repeals regulations to make everyday life easier and more affordable for Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/my-first-bill-to-become-law-repeals-regulations-to-make-everyday-life/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonald's everywhere, and you could feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-yun-lee/sometimes-when-you-re-in-different-countries-everything-has-become-so/) [Will Yun Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-yun-lee/) Browse all 4,184 Become quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most people who get into power in the western world start with great intentions, but slowly they all become entrapped and hung by their own petard.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David A. Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-western-world-start-with-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Become" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-western-world-start-with-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7df/david-a-stewart-66192_become_most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-we_2080246.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most people who get into power in the western world start with great intentions, but slowly they all become…” — David A. Stewart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David A. Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most people who get into power...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-western-world-start-with-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-stewart/most-people-who-get-into-power-in-the-western-world-start-with-great/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```