Holding Power Quotes

Politics is the art of acquiring, holding and wielding power.

Everybody has stories about using duct tape. Of course, most don't try to lift a car with it.

In many ways, I'm a big admirer still of Julian Assange. He had balls to do what he did and his motivations in terms of holding the powerful to account are tremendously inspiring to me.

In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its unique ability to provide a truly adversarial check on those in power.

In order to obtain and hold power, a man must love it.

The worst thing for a politician is to try and cling to power by every possible means, and focus only on that.

For you will seem either not to esteem government worth much, or to think few worthy to hold it.

The fact that we see some people doing what appears to be good civic-minded deeds may be because that is their true intention, and it may be that that is their best way to hold onto power in a setting where they have to depend on a lot of people.

After working at the 'Guardian' for two decades, I feel I know instinctively why it exists. Most of our journalists and our readers do, too - it's something to do with holding power to account and upholding liberal values.

We need journalists to be fearless and hold power to account.