With mediocre power comes mediocre responsibility...

I think we often forget this important corrolary to the more famous expression.

It might be better to say, "Our responsibility is in direct relation to our power..."

But that opens people up to saying that they were 'powerless' in a given situation, which I don't accept. At least, not in the sense that it abrogates any level of personal responsibility.

It might be worth it, though, if it means liberating people from crippling themselves with guilt when they really weren't 'responsible' (ie. they had only mediocre or negligible power).

Reminds me of a joke: A person applies for a job, and is asked if he is a responsible worker. He says, "Oh, definitely. At my last job, whenever something went wrong, my boss would tell me I was responsible."