--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A king may spille, a king may save; A…" description: "\"A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.\" — John Gower" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg" --- # A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of… ![“A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.” quote by John Gower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg) > “A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.” [John Gower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gower/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power can corrupt, allowing rulers to both protect and betray, turning subjects into oppressors and vice versa. **In simple terms:** Power can make good people bad. Key Takeaway Beware the corrupting influence of authority. Themes power corruption leadership morality Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - government decisions - corporate leadership - family dynamics - community governance Key Concepts political theory human nature ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does authority change behavior? - Can power be used responsibly? A Different Perspective Power alone does not guarantee justice; institutions matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) ## Related quotes > [“Who should be King save him who makes us free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/who-should-be-king-save-him-who-makes-us-free/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“God save King Pendragon, May his reign long drag on, God save the King. Send him most gorious, Great and uproarious, Horrible and hoarious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-white/god-save-king-pendragon-may-his-reign-long-drag-on-god-save-the-king/) [T.H. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-white/) > [“God save the King!" Old Sapt's mouth wrinkled into a smile. 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But it's not like a called myself the Instagram King. I put up what people want to see and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/i-m-like-a-big-kid-but-it-s-not-like-a-called-myself-the-instagram/) [Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/) [Browse all 2,520 King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gower" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gower/a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king-may-make-of-lorde-a-knave/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "King" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gower/a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king-may-make-of-lorde-a-knave/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/john-gower-59915_king_a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king_411584.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A king may spille, a king may save; A king may make of lorde a knave; And of a knave a lorde also.” — John Gower", "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": "John Gower", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gower/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A king may spille, a king...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gower/a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king-may-make-of-lorde-a-knave/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gower/a-king-may-spille-a-king-may-save-a-king-may-make-of-lorde-a-knave/#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 } } ] } ```