Power Quotes in Cloud Atlas

This is a very succinct definition of power from Alberto Grimaldi, the man who assassinates, covers up, and blackmails at will. It also shows how in this book, power is often defined by one person's ability to control someone else; it often has little to do with morality, education, or self-perfection.

This harkens back to the slave-maker ant metaphor we mentioned in the "Slavery" section. It also kind of makes us think of the ol' lobster in a pot analogy. If you gradually turn up the heat, the lobster doesn't realize he's being boiled until the last second. Power might work that way, too, by gradually wearing people down until the power's absolute.

Why does this man want to know if a man aspiring to power thinks like a businessman? Is it because, if so, he will find a way to profit from it?