abril de 1945

abril de 1945 is the date the book assigns to Roosevelt’s original formulation of a maxim commonly associated with Ben, Spider-Man’s uncle. The reference corrects the saying’s familiar attribution and connects its idea of responsibility to the power held by someone who takes a new life into their arms.

The Date and the Attribution

The book places Roosevelt’s words in abril de 1945, on the eve of his death and as preparation for the destruction of Japan. It distinguishes the historical attribution from the saying’s later association with Ben: the maxim’s familiar cultural form is not, the passage says, its original source.

Responsibility and Power

The reference matters beyond correcting a quotation. The book reverses the maxim’s logic: if great power entails great responsibility, responsibility for a new life can itself confer great power. Holding a newborn is presented as an experience that brings both obligation and authority, and that power may prove irresistible to some. The date thus anchors a reflection on motherhood in a political maxim whose meaning shifts from the duties imposed by power to the power generated by responsibility.