“Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil” has been printed on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and ecards. “Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil” was cited in newsgroups in 1999. Authorship is unknown.
 
     
Google Groups: alt.callahans
Monk’s New Place
BLACK C V
10/12/99
(...)
Claire Black .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
#include standard_disclaimer.h
Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.
 
Google Groups: alt.callahans
nov 5
Claire Black
11/8/99
(...)
Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.
 
Google Groups: sol.lists.freebsd.questions
DSL natd rules….
William Woods
1/26/00
(...)
“knowledge is power. power corrupts. study hard, be evil.”
 
Google Groups: alt.music.placebo
{OT} Withdrawls
kate
6/22/00
(...)
” And as we all know,knowledge is power; power corrupts.  So study hard, and be evil, children!” -liz
 
Google Books
The Know-It-All:
One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
By A. J. Jacobs
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
2004
Pg. 136:
As I try to process this, we are approached by a balding, bespectacled man whose jacket is blanketed with buttons. One says, “I used to procrastinate but now . . .”, another says, “Knowledge Is Power. Power Corrupts. Study Hard and Be Evil.”
 
Google Groups: Life Cubed
“Great Bumper Stickers”
Marshall
3/17/08
(...)
Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil.
 
Twitter
HalThePenguin
‏@halthepenguin
Knowledge is power and Power is corrupts, so study hard and be evil
11:17 AM - 11 Sep 2008
 
Google Books
The Book of Quotes
By Omana Kannan
Xlibris Corporation (Xlibris.com)
2013
Pg. 49:
“Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. So study hard and be evil.”
Author Unknown