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
style sublime easy
The truly sublime is always easy, and always natural.
passion hands style
In doing good, we are generally cold, and languid, and sluggish; and of all things afraid of being too much in the right. But theworks of malice and injustice are quite in another style. They are finished with a bold, masterly hand; touched as they are with the spirit of those vehement passions that call forth all our energies, whenever we oppress and persecute..
style language purity
Sallust is indisputably one of the best historians among the Romans, both for the purity of his language and the elegance of his style.
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.