--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more…" description: "\"I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more than one watch. Power corrupts. Who didn't know that?\" — John Cooper Clarke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-cooper-clarke-4797_citizen-kane_i-don-t-think-citizen-kane-stands-more-t_1250104.png" --- # I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more than one watch… ![“I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more than one watch. Power corrupts. Who didn't know that?” quote by John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-cooper-clarke-4797_citizen-kane_i-don-t-think-citizen-kane-stands-more-t_1250104.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-cooper-clarke-4797_citizen-kane_i-don-t-think-citizen-kane-stands-more-t_1250104.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-cooper-clarke-4797_citizen-kane_i-don-t-think-citizen-kane-stands-more-t_1250104.png) > “I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more than one watch. Power corrupts. Who didn't know that?” [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power inevitably corrupts; even iconic works can’t escape moral decay. **In simple terms:** Power corrupts. Key Takeaway Beware the corrupting influence of authority. Themes politics power corruption Mood cynical critical Type satirical commentary When to use this quote - media analysis - political activism - leadership evaluation Key Concepts ethical decay celebrity culture Questions to Reflect On - Can power ever be truly ethical? - What safeguards prevent corruption? A Different Perspective Some argue power can be used responsibly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citizen kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen-kane/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power corrupts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-corrupts/) ## Related quotes > [When people watch 'Power' and they find out the showrunner is black, it's not surprising. What is surprising is that I am a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-a-kemp/when-people-watch-power-and-they-find-out-the-showrunner-is-black-it/) [Courtney A. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-a-kemp/) > [All power corrupts but some must govern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/all-power-corrupts-but-some-must-govern/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/power-corrupts-the-few-while-weakness-corrupts-the-many/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Power corrupts, but lack of power corrupts absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-stevenson-i/power-corrupts-but-lack-of-power-corrupts-absolutely/) [Adlai Stevenson I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-stevenson-i/) > [In the United States, though power corrupts, the expectation of power paralyzes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-the-united-states-though-power-corrupts-the-expectation-of-power/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [If power corrupts, weakness in the seat of power, with its constant necessity of deals and bribes and compromising arrangements,corrupts even more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/if-power-corrupts-weakness-in-the-seat-of-power-with-its-constant/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/power-corrupts-and-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [Power corrupts, and obsolete power corrupts obsoletely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nelson/power-corrupts-and-obsolete-power-corrupts-obsoletely/) [Ted Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nelson/) > [Power corrupts.Absolute power corrupts absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/power-corrupts-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [“power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutley”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/power-corrupts-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutley/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [Absolute power corrupts absolutely .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/all-governments-suffer-a-recurring-problem-power-attracts/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [If all power corrupts, then a doctor, who literally holds life and death in his hands, must be at particular risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/if-all-power-corrupts-then-a-doctor-who-literally-holds-life-and/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [What is true is that the idea of power corrupts. Power corrupts most rapidly those who believe in it, and it is they who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-true-is-that-the-idea-of-power-corrupts-power-corrupts-most/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“I know, better than anyone else, that there are no heroes coming to save us. There are no good Epics. None of them protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-know-better-than-anyone-else-that-there-are-no-heroes-coming-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by John Cooper Clarke > [When the punk rock thing happened, I thought, 'Right, I have one chance here to be seen as part of some wider social phenomenon.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/when-the-punk-rock-thing-happened-i-thought-right-i-have-one-chance/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [To make the hips the focal point of a pair of trousers is, to me, a fashion mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/to-make-the-hips-the-focal-point-of-a-pair-of-trousers-is-to-me-a/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [The greatest threat to any artist is surrounding themselves with people who love everything they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/the-greatest-threat-to-any-artist-is-surrounding-themselves-with/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [The first time I heard rock'n'roll on a big sound system would have been at a fairground at the seaside. That's a hell of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/the-first-time-i-heard-rock-n-roll-on-a-big-sound-system-would-have/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [My favourite writers are columnists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/my-favourite-writers-are-columnists/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [As they used to say on Stingray, ‘Anything can happen in the next half hour’. I’ve always tried to live with that thought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/as-they-used-to-say-on-stingray-anything-can-happen-in-the-next-half/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [It was a tedious saying among hippies: if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. I was very much part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/it-was-a-tedious-saying-among-hippies-if-you-re-not-part-of-the/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [No one wants to be a source of anxiety to everybody they know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/no-one-wants-to-be-a-source-of-anxiety-to-everybody-they-know/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [From social pariah to King of the World? It's taken 45 years, so I've been able to adjust to it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/from-social-pariah-to-king-of-the-world-it-s-taken-45-years-so-i-ve/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [Well, I've obviously been a great source of inspiration to the academic population of Salford! They're citing me as a major contribution to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/well-i-ve-obviously-been-a-great-source-of-inspiration-to-the/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [They're very different things, a poem and a song, you wouldn't think they would be, but they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/they-re-very-different-things-a-poem-and-a-song-you-wouldn-t-think/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [I've got a speech impediment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/i-ve-got-a-speech-impediment/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [I enjoy gigging in industrial towns. It seems to be where I go down the best. Somewhere where they have a history of manufacturing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/i-enjoy-gigging-in-industrial-towns-it-seems-to-be-where-i-go-down/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [I don't work with anybody I don't like, just for the attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/i-don-t-work-with-anybody-i-don-t-like-just-for-the-attention/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [Poverty - the one thing money can't buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/poverty-the-one-thing-money-can-t-buy/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) [Explore all 106 John Cooper Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) ## More Citizen kane quotes > [You make a film and always hope you're going make "Citizen Kane" or "The Bicycle Thief." You make the film, and for one reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/you-make-a-film-and-always-hope-you-re-going-make-citizen-kane-or-the/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I really like my first movie a lot, 'Kicking and Screaming.' I think it's a - I'm very pleased and proud of that movie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-really-like-my-first-movie-a-lot-kicking-and-screaming-i-think-it-s/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [Orson Welles lists Citizen Kane as his best film, Alfred Hitchcock opts for Shadow of a Doubt, and Sir Carol Reed chose The Third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-cotten/orson-welles-lists-citizen-kane-as-his-best-film-alfred-hitchcock/) Joseph Cotten > [“The book is almost always better than the movie. You could have no better case in point than FROM HELL, Alan Moore's best graphic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/the-book-is-almost-always-better-than-the-movie-you-could-have-no/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [“I wasn't an Irishman, but I knew how it felt to have someone standing over you, controlling your life and wanting to call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/i-wasn-t-an-irishman-but-i-knew-how-it-felt-to-have-someone-standing/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) > [“It was time for me to go that Thursday night. We’d just watched Citizen Kane --a throwback to my Cinema 190 class at USC--and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/it-was-time-for-me-to-go-that-thursday-night-we-d-just-watched/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“The most famous snow globe was featured in the movie Citizen Kane”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-anderson/the-most-famous-snow-globe-was-featured-in-the-movie-citizen-kane/) [Adam Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-anderson/) > [We didn't even think about it, you know? I used to collect laser discs, and you'd have some college professor analyzing It's a Wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/we-didn-t-even-think-about-it-you-know-i-used-to-collect-laser-discs/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [I personally think 'Chimes of Midnight' is a much better film than 'Citizen Kane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mckay/i-personally-think-chimes-of-midnight-is-a-much-better-film-than/) [Christian McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-mckay/) > [I don't believe that Citizen Kane or Gone With the Wind, or any damn picture that you can name, would be better off in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-don-t-believe-that-citizen-kane-or-gone-with-the-wind-or-any-damn/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [Orson Welles was a force of nature, who just came in and wiped the slate clean. And Citizen Kane is the greatest risk-taking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/orson-welles-was-a-force-of-nature-who-just-came-in-and-wiped-the/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You think you know it, but you always find out new stuff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-siskel/you-think-you-know-it-but-you-always-find-out-new-stuff/) [Gene Siskel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-siskel/) > [“Without the witty, potent dialogue and the puzzling shape of the story, the movie would have been merely an American version of the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/without-the-witty-potent-dialogue-and-the-puzzling-shape-of-the-story/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Movies such as 'Citizen Kane' and 'The Front Page' portrayed an era when driven newspapermen would do anything to get a story. The U.K.'s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/movies-such-as-citizen-kane-and-the-front-page-portrayed-an-era-when/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [“She had an old friend from the vaudeville days named Buck Mack who lived with her. Buck had been part of a vaudeville team…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wagner/she-had-an-old-friend-from-the-vaudeville-days-named-buck-mack-who/) [Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wagner/) [Browse all 37 Citizen kane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen-kane/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think 'Citizen Kane' stands more than one watch. Power corrupts. 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