Power is the great aphrodisiac.

The quote equates power with an aphrodisiac—something that stimulates desire—suggesting that authority itself generates attraction, confidence, and a sense of vitality, both for the person who holds it and for those drawn to it. Kissinger’s phrasing implies that power can be intoxicating and self-reinforcing: it seduces by promising access, control, and status, and it can distort judgment by making its pursuit feel like a personal need rather than a public responsibility. As an epigram, it also critiques how charisma and desirability in political life may be less about virtue or intimacy than proximity to influence.