Pierre Stephen Robert Payne

"Historically the first philosopher to enquire deeply into the nature of corruption in society was Ibn Khaldun , whose wandering life was largely spent in the northern littoral of Africa at a time when…"

"It is no more rational to have lawyers in positions of power than it would be to have garbage collectors in positions of power. And in human terms garbage collectors would be preferable."

"At the heart of the mystery of corruption lies the desire of one man to impose his will on others to the largest possible extent."

"Corrupt men are always liars. Lies are their instruments, their pleasure, their solace. In time they come to believe their lies, or rather to half-believe them."

"Where there had been hope, there was now hopelessness. Where there had been courage, there was now cynicism. Where there had been life, there was a living death. During Nixon's reign, much of life was…"

"Conquest, tyranny, treachery, and the clash of cultures bring about corrupt societies, and so does old age. Sometimes the five faces of corruption are visible at the same time."

"The game of power is played remorselessly by men who have not the slightest knowledge of, or interest in, the way ordinary people live, and the ordinary people are too terrified to protest."

"The United States is dangerously close to being a plutocracy. A third of the private wealth is owned by less than 5 percent of the population."