Lord Melbourne
Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS, usually addressed as Lord Melbourne, was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretaryand Prime Minister. He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18–21, in the ways of politics. Historians conclude that Melbourne does not rank high as a prime minister, for there were no great foreign wars or domestic issues to handle, he lacked major achievements, and he enunciated no grand principles. "But...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionStatesman
british-statesman except
Nobody ever did anything very foolish except from some strong principle.
british-statesman confess failed faults incapacity less love man pursuit wounds
It wounds a man less to confess that he has failed in any pursuit through idleness, neglect, the love of pleasure, etc., etc., which are his own faults, than through incapacity and unfitness, which are the faults of his nature.
british-statesman entertain esoteric maintain rugged safest side steep transit unpopular
My esoteric doctrine, is that if you entertain any doubt, it is safest to take the unpopular side in the first instance. Transit from the unpopular, is easy... but from the popular to the unpopular is so steep and rugged that it is impossible to maintain it.
british-statesman
It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same.
british-statesman fool honest
A doctrinaire is a fool but an honest man.
british-statesman men support
That is no use at all. What I want is men who will support me when I am in the wrong.
british-statesman government preserve prevent
The whole duty of government is to prevent crime and to preserve contracts.
british-statesman
I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything.
bestow english fortune good greatest languages latin wealth
Wealth is so much the greatest good that Fortune has to bestow that in the Latin and English languages it has usurped her name.