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
mean evil regulation
Taste and elegance, though they are reckoned only among the smaller and secondary morals, yet are of no mean importance in the regulations of life. A moral taste is not of force to turn vice into virtue; but it recommends virtue with something like the blandishments of pleasure, and it infinitely abates the evils of vice.
anxious confident despised ruined security
Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than be ruined by too confident a security
change means state
A state without some means of change is without the means of its conservation
bullying freedom work
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.
government unjust oppressive-governments
Nothing turns out to be so oppressive and unjust as a feeble government.
heart keeps shame virtue whilst wholly
Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly extinguished in the heart
air breathe corrupt exalt importance manners refine
Manners are of more importance than laws... Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.
founded frugality limits principle riches
Frugality is founded on the principle that all riches have limits
ask free government people practical
If any ask me what a free government is, I answer, that for any practical purpose, it is what the people think so.
despair work
Never despair, but if you do, work in despair
courage greater mistake nobody
Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could only do a little
cannot king somebody
Somebody has said, that a king may make a nobleman, but he cannot make a gentleman.
admiration happiness
She is not made to be the admiration of all, but the happiness of one
above chains civil exact justice liberties love men moral proportion qualified
Men are qualified for civil liberties in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their appetites: in proportion as their love of justice is above their rapacity