Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burkewas an Irish statesman born in Dublin, as well as an author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher who, after moving to London, served as a member of parliamentfor many years in the House of Commons with the Whig Party...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth12 January 1729
CountryIreland
government people purpose
No government ought to exist for the purpose of checking the prosperity of its people or to allow such a principle in its policy.
pride thinking order
Knowledge of those unalterable Relations which Providence has ordained that every thing should bear to every other...To these we should conform in good Earnest; and not think to force Nature, and the whole Order of her System, by a Compliance with our Pride, and Folly, to conform to our artificial Regulations.
men benefits reasonable
Men have no right to what is not reasonable, and to what is not for their benefit.
errors pursuit satisfied
The great Error of our Nature is, not to know where to stop, not to be satisfied with any reasonable Acquirement; not to compound with our Condition; but to lose all we have gained by an insatiable Pursuit after more.
men stamps cant
Of this stamp is the cant of, Not men, but measures.
believe men hands
All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing as they must if they believe they can do nothing. There is nothing worse because the council of despair is declaration of irresponsibility; it is Pilate washing his hands.
injustice ministers fraud
Fraud is the ready minister of injustice.
truth imagination lag
Fiction lags after truth, invention is unfruitful, and imagination cold and barren.
men evil good-man
Evil prevails when good men fail to act.
prison crime capable
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
mean power politics
All wealth is power, so power must infallibly draw wealth to itself by some means or other.
inspiration
It has all the contortions of the sibyl without the inspiration.
responsibility prison crime
Responsibility prevents crimes.
ambition thinking abuse
I dread our own power and our own ambition; I dread our being too much dreaded....We may say that we shall not abuse this astonishing and hitherto unheard-of-power. But every other nation will think we shall abuse it. It is impossible but that, sooner or later, this state of things must produce a combination against us which may end in our ruin.