Does power corrupt?

There is a well known quote Is there truth to this? The idea of checks and balances in government would seem to tacitly assume so. I was thinking that part of the reason that it may seem that way is that the ruthlessness sometimes required to attain power may give power to those who are already corrupt. It is certainly not universally true. Parents have power over their children and most parents exercise this power prudentially. But what about people who abuse children? Might their behavior in part be attributed to giving in to the temptation to exercise power indiscriminately? Is there a dark side to human nature in general that allows such things to happen? Might this account, at least in part, for power abuse in general?