"Real politics are the possession and distribution of power"

This quote by Benjamin Disraeli talks to the core of what politics is all about: the acquisition and use of power. Power is the ability to influence and control the actions of others, and politics is the practice of utilizing power to accomplish specific goals. In politics, power is utilized to form the policies and laws of a society, to influence the decisions of government authorities, and to shape public opinion. Power is also utilized to gain access to resources, to acquire influence over others, and to gain control over the direction of a society. Politics is the art of using power to attain wanted results, and it is the supreme expression of power in a society.