You can't trust anybody with power.

Hear now the stern words of Newt Gingrich, carved from the hard stone of experience: “You can’t trust anybody with power.” This truth is as old as the mountains, yet men forget it with each generation, for the song of power is sweet and deceptive. It whispers promises of justice, of order, of greatness—but behind the veil lurks temptation, corruption, and the frailty of the human heart. To trust blindly in power is to place gold in the fire and expect it not to melt.

The ancients warned us of this. In every empire, kings and lords rose with noble dreams, yet too often were seduced by the throne they sat upon. The crown, heavy with jewels, is also heavy with shadows. Even the righteous, when clothed in command, find themselves tempted to bend truth for advantage, to silence dissent, to preserve themselves rather than serve others. It is not that men are always evil—it is that power itself corrupts, like wine that intoxicates the mind. Thus Gingrich’s words resound like a clarion: beware of the trust you place in those who wield authority, for unchecked power bends even strong souls.

History bears testimony. Think of Julius Caesar, who began as a defender of the Roman Republic. The people loved him for his victories, his reforms, his vision of Rome united. Yet with each triumph, his authority grew, and the man who once claimed to guard the Republic’s liberty reached for the crown of a dictator. His ambition shattered the very system he had vowed to protect. His friends, once loyal, turned their blades upon him, crying “Et tu, Brute?” Rome learned in blood what Gingrich warns us in words: no one, however great, can be trusted unguarded with unchecked power.

Nor is this lesson confined to the distant past. In the last century, countless leaders rose in the name of freedom and the people, only to twist their reigns into tyranny. The revolutions of men often began with noble fire, yet ended with iron fists. Consider the tale of the Russian Revolution: born from cries for justice, it devoured itself under Stalin, whose hunger for control silenced millions. It was not that the idea of justice was false, but that power, concentrated in the hands of one, turned noble ideals into instruments of fear.

From this arises a truth both sorrowful and instructive: trust not in rulers without boundaries. The wisdom of civilizations has always been to set limits upon power, to weave laws and balances like chains upon a mighty beast. For though men are frail, the system of shared authority can restrain ambition. The Athenians built their democracy upon suspicion of tyrants. The founders of America crafted their Constitution with checks and balances, knowing the danger of trusting even the most virtuous with unlimited control. They had read history, and they knew the crooked path power walks when left alone.

What then, my children, is the lesson? It is this: honor leaders, but never worship them. Respect authority, but never surrender your vigilance. Place trust not in the perfection of men, but in the structures that bind their power. Always ask, Who watches the strong? Who guards the guardians? These questions are the shield of the free.

And in your own lives, let this wisdom not be wasted. For power does not belong only to kings and presidents; it dwells in every home, in every company, in every soul. When you are given authority, whether over one or over many, remember the weakness of the human heart. Guard yourself with humility. Seek counsel. Invite accountability. Do not demand blind trust, but earn it daily through service and integrity. And when others wield power over you, respect them—but never close your eyes. Remain watchful, remain questioning, for freedom lives in vigilance.

So let Gingrich’s words echo through the ages: “You can’t trust anybody with power.” They are not words of despair, but of wisdom. They remind us that the chains of law, the voice of the people, and the courage of conscience are the eternal safeguards of justice. Power is a wild flame—useful for warmth, but deadly if left untamed. Trust not the flame to restrain itself; build the hearth, set the stones, and watch it always. Only then may we live with both strength and safety.