This is true, for resistors. Current wants to flow downhill, from higher potentials to lower, just as hydraulic flows will tend to go from higher pressure to lower. Of course it can. Like mechanical dampers, resistors can only absorb power. They cannot store it, so they can never be the source of a flow of power to another component.
Power flowing into a resistor is dissipated as heat.
For components which can have i and V of different signs, power may be either positive or negative. Recognizing a resistor The above are actual resistors used in circuits. Sometimes they are labeled with text stating their resistance and power rating. However, more often than not, the colored lines are used to identify them. For more pictures of resistors, and information on how to identify the color codes, click here .