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My esoteric doctrine, is that if you entertain any doubt, it is safest to take the unpopular side in the first instance. Transit from the unpopular, is easy... but from the popular to the unpopular is so steep and rugged that it is impossible to maintain it.

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

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William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
Age: 69 †
Born: 1779
Born: March 15
Died: 1848
Died: November 24
Politician
London
England
Lord Melbourne
William Lamb
Viscount Melbourne
Principles
Unpopular
Doubt
Steep
Sides
Entertain
Impossible
Maintain
Easy
Popular
Transit
Firsts
Doctrine
Safest
First
Instance
Esoteric
Take
Side
Rugged

More quotes by William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

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[F]riends praise your abilities to the skies, submit to you in argument, and seem to have the greatest deference for you but, though they may ask it, you never find them following your advice upon their own affairs nor allowing you to manage your own.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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Be not over solicitous about education. It may be able to do much, but it does not do as much as expected from it. It may mould and direct the character, but it rarely alters it.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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The whole duty of government is to prevent crime and to preserve contracts.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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Nobody ever did anything very foolish except from some strong principle.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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What I like about the Order of the Garter is that there is no damned merit about it.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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Neither man nor woman can be worth anything until they have discovered that they are fools. The sooner the discovery is made the better, as there is more time and power for taking advantage of it.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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That is no use at all. What I want is men who will support me when I am in the wrong.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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While I cannot be regarded as a pillar, I must be regarded as a buttress of the church, because I support it from outside.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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A doctrinaire is a fool but an honest man.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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What all the wise men promised has not happened and what all the dammed fools said would happen has come to pass.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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It doesn't matter what we say , so long as we all say the same thing.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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Things are coming to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade private life.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
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I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything.
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne