Power ought to serve as a check to power

Power ought to serve as a check to power

Charles de Secondat, also known as Montesquieu, was a French philosopher and political thinker who is best known for his theory of the separation of powers. One of his most famous quotes is "Power ought to serve as a check to power," which encapsulates his belief that the concentration of power in the hands of one individual or group can lead to tyranny and oppression.

Montesquieu believed that in order to prevent the abuse of power, it was necessary to divide power among different branches of government – the executive, legislative, and judicial – each with its own distinct powers and responsibilities. By creating a system of checks and balances, where each branch has the ability to limit the power of the others, Montesquieu argued that it would be possible to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and infringing on the rights of the people.