Edmund Burke
necessary triump evil good men nothing
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
read reflection eat digest
“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
mistake do nothing little
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
ambition creep soar
“Ambition can creep as well as soar.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
rudeness weak man mitation strength
“Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
patience achieve force
“Our patience will achieve more than our force.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
apologise feeling truth
“Never apologise for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologise for the truth.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
judge truth knowledge shipwreck laughter god
“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
liberty exist absence morality
“Liberty does not exist in the absence of morality.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
power rob mind acting reason fear
“No power so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
command wealth rich free poor
“If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free. If our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
wrestle strenghten nerves sharpen skill antagonist helper
“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
popular error loudest complainer public anxious welfare
“It is a general popular error to imagine the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
oppressive unjust feeble government
“Nothing turns out to be so oppressive and unjust as a feeble government.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
lawyer tell do humanity reason justice
“It is not, what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice, tell me I ought to do.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
people give up liberties delusion
“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
human mind state pain pleasure indifference
“The human mind is often, and I think it is for the most part, in a state neither of pain nor pleasure, which I call a state of indifference.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
state means change conservation
“A state without the means of some change, is without the means of its own conservation.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
greater power abuse
“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
mankind propensity view work measure excellence
“For there is in mankind an unfortunate propensity to make themselves, their views and their works, the measure of excellence in every thing whatsoever”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
nature things sturdy adversary
“The nature of things is, I admit, a sturdy adversary.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
attempt level never equalize
“Those who attempt to level, never equalize.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
society contract partnership science art virtue perfection
“Society is indeed a contract. ... It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in all perfection.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
love country lovely
“To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
geography subject science
“Geography is an earthly subject, but a heavenly science.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
tyranny foothold people conscience silent silence
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
― Edmund Burke (1729-1797)