Quotes about corruption

Money to an official is like blood to a fly.

The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government.

To a shower of gold most things are penetrable.

Precisely because everyone takes a shortcut, nothing works and, for this reason, the only way to get anything done is to take another shortcut.”

“All power corrupts but some must govern and in that case Brother Lacon will reluctantly scramble to the top of the heap.”

In political matters it is very hard for a man in office to be purer than his neighbours, — and, when he is so, he becomes troublesome.

Senator Stanton? The man who’s sold his own soul so many times that no one can figure out who actually owns it?

“Is there anyone or anything in this city which can’t be bought?” I said, slipping him a note.

“Yeah,” the man said, laughing quietly. “But I’m not it.”

It is not good for him who makes the laws to execute them, or for the body of the people to turn its attention away from a general standpoint and devote it to particular objects. Nothing is more dangerous than the influence of private interests in public affairs, and the abuse of the laws by the government is a less evil than the corruption of the legislator.

“‘Truth is cheap, but information costs.’ I can’t remember who said that.”

“Vince What’s-His-Name,” said Sam. “Died in a terrorist raid or something. I thought you said all information should be free.”

“It should. It isn’t. Knowledge is power. But power corrupts. Which means the Age of Fast Information is an extremely corrupt age in which to live.”

“Aren’t they all?” Sam asked him.

History shows that, at earlier stages of economic development, corruption is difficult to control. The fact that today no country that is very poor is very clean suggests that a country has to rise above absolute poverty before it can significantly reduce in the system. When people are poor, it is easy to buy their dignity—starving people find it difficult not to sell their votes for a bag of flour, while under-paid civil servants will often fail to resist the temptation to take a bribe. But it is not just a matter of personal dignity. There are also more structural causes.

Corruption exists because there is too much, not too little, market.