A sense of self-actuated worth derives from both the context and the exercise of power. On no other aspect of human existence is vanity so much at risk; in William Hazlitt’s words, "the love of power is the love of ourselves."

Everyday language comments regularly to the reasons for which power is being pursued. If it is narrowly confined to the interest of an individual or group, one says it is being sought for selfish ends; if it reflects the interest or perception of a much larger number of people, those involved are thought inspired leaders or statesmen…. Much less appreciated is the extent to which the purpose of power is the exercise of power itself. In all societies, from the most primitive to the ostensibly most civilized, the exercise of power is profoundly enjoyed. Elaborate rituals of obeisance—admiring altitudes, applauded speeches, precedence at dinners and banquets, a place in the motorcade, access to the corporate jet, the military salute—celebrate the possession of power. These rituals are greatly rewarding; so are the pleas and intercessions of those who seek to influence others in the exercise of power; and so, of course, are the acts of exercise—the instructions to subordinates, the military commands, the conveying of court decisions, the statement at the end of the meeting when the person in charge says, ‘Well, this is what’ll do.’ A sense of self-actuated worth derives from both the context and the exercise of power. On no other aspect of human existence is vanity so much at risk; in William Hazlitt’s words, ‘the love of power is the love of ourselves.” It follows that power is pursued not only for the service it renders to personal interests, values, or social perceptions, but also for its own sake, for the emotional and material reward inherent in its possession and exercise. ~ John Kenneth Galbraith, The Anatomy of Power, 9-10