"The measure of a man is what he does with power." -Plato

This is a poor litmus test because the vast majority of people never attain positions of power in their lives. Of course, all of us end up in situations where we have some tiny measure of power over others. What does a person do when they have leverage over others and they don't think there will be consequences to what they do?

A better measure of a person--which I consider superior because it's more readily available--is what a person does in the face of powerlessness.