Edmund Burke
Ireland
12 Jan 1729 // 9 Jul 1797
Statesman / Author / Orator/ Philosopher
12 Jan 1729 // 9 Jul 1797
Statesman / Author / Orator/ Philosopher
Quotes
<< Prev Next >>
Men love to hear of their power, but have an extreme disrelish to be told their duty
Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites
Men are as much blinded by the extremes of misery as by the extremes of prosperity
Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural power corrupts both the heart and the understanding
Man acts from adequate motives relative to his interest, and not on metaphysical speculations
Liberty, without wisdom, is license
Liberty must be limited in order to be possessed
It is very rare, indeed, for men to be wrong in their feelings concerning public misconduct; as rare to be right in their speculations upon the cause of it. I have constantly observed that the generality of people are fifty years, at least, behind in their politics
It is undoubtedly true, though it may seem paradoxical, but, in general, those who are habitually employed in finding and displaying faults are unqualified for the work of reformation
It is the nature of tyranny and rapacity never to learn moderation from the ill-success of first oppressions; on the contrary, all oppressors, all men thinking highly of the methods dictated by their nature, attribute the frustration of their desires to the want of sufficient rigor
Search
On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays
Essays