Share
×
Inspirational Quotes
Authors
Professions
Topics
Tags
Quote
In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.
Edmund Burke
Share
Change background
T
T
T
Change font
Original
TAGS & TOPICS
Edmund Burke
Age: 68 †
Born: 1729
Born: January 12
Died: 1797
Died: July 9
Philosopher
Politician
Statesman
Writer
Dublin city
Citizens
Minority
Democracy
Cruel
Freedom
Minorities
Upon
Oppression
Conservative
Majority
Capable
Oppressions
Exercise
Exercising
More quotes by Edmund Burke
Whatever each man can separately do, without trespassing upon others, he has a right to do for himself and he has a right to a fair portion of all which society, with all it combinations of skill and force, can do in his favor. In this partnership all men have equal rights but not to equal things.
Edmund Burke
The truly sublime is always easy, and always natural.
Edmund Burke
It is the nature of all greatness not to be exact.
Edmund Burke
By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways as there are floating fancies or fashions, the whole chain and continuity of the commonwealth would be broken. No one generation could link with the other. Men would become little better than the flies of a summer.
Edmund Burke
Adversity is a severe instructor, set over us by one who knows us better than we do ourselves.
Edmund Burke
It is the function of a judge not to make but to declare the law, according to the golden mete-wand of the law and not by the crooked cord of discretion.
Edmund Burke
If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.
Edmund Burke
The nerve that never relaxes, the eye that never blanches, the thought that never wanders, the purpose that never wavers - these are the masters of victory.
Edmund Burke
A definition may be very exact, and yet go but a very little way towards informing us of the nature of the thing defined.
Edmund Burke
It is an advantage to all narrow wisdom and narrow morals that their maxims have a plausible air and, on a cursory view, appear equal to first principles. They are light and portable. They are as current as copper coin and about as valuable.
Edmund Burke
The grand instructor, time.
Edmund Burke
A disposition to preserve, and an ability to improve, taken together, would be my standard of a statesman.
Edmund Burke
Corrupt influence is itself the perennial spring of all prodigality, and of all disorder it loads us more than millions of debt takes away vigor from our arms, wisdom from our councils, and every shadow of authority and credit from the most venerable parts of our constitution.
Edmund Burke
Fiction lags after truth, invention is unfruitful, and imagination cold and barren.
Edmund Burke
The question is not whether you have a right to render people miserable, but whether it is not in your best interest to make them happy.
Edmund Burke
Facts are to the mind what food is to the body.
Edmund Burke
It is, generally, in the season of prosperity that men discover their real temper, principles, and designs.
Edmund Burke
To govern according to the sense and agreement of the interests of the people is a great and glorious object of governance. This object cannot be obtained but through the medium of popular election, and popular election is a mighty evil.
Edmund Burke
Though ugliness be the opposite of beauty, it is not the opposite to proportion and fitness for it is possible that a thing may be very ugly with any proportions, and with a perfect fitness for any use.
Edmund Burke
In effect, to follow, not to force the public inclination to give a direction, a form, a technical dress, and a specific sanction, to the general sense of the community, is the true end of legislature.
Edmund Burke