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Edmund Burke Quotes

Statesman

Edmund Burke, a British statesman and writer, was born on January 12, 1729, and died on July 9, 1797. He was one of the most prominent political thinkers of the 18th century, known for his profound insights into liberty, democracy, and conservatism.

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Famous Edmund Burke Quotes

“God has sometimes converted wickedness into madness; and it is to the credit of human reason that men who are not in some degree mad are never capable of being in the highest degree wicked.”

Men Humans Sometimes Reason Degrees Highest Capable Madness Mad Credit Wicked Wickedness Human Reason

Book:The Works and Correspondence of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke

Source: The Works and Correspondence of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke

“Guilt was never a rational thing; it distorts all the faculties of the human mind, it perverts them, it leaves a man no longer in the free use of his reason, it puts him into confusion.”

Men Mind Humans Reason Use Guilt Rational Confusion Faculty Human Mind

Book:Celebrated Speeches of Chatham, Burke, and Erskine: To which is Added the Arguement of Mr. Mackintosh in the Case of Peltier

Source: Celebrated Speeches of Chatham, Burke, and Erskine: To which is Added the Arguement of Mr. Mackintosh in the Case of Peltier

“I own that there is a haughtiness and fierceness in human nature which will cause innumerable broils, place men in what situation you please.”

Men Humans Humanity Causes Situation Human Nature Please Fierceness Haughtiness

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Edmund Burke (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Edmund Burke (Illustrated)

“There are cases in which a man would be ashamed not to have been imposed upon. There is a confidence necessary to human intercourse, and without which men are often more injured by their own suspicions than they would be by the perfidy of others.”

Men Humans Has Beens Would Be Cases Ashamed Suspicion Injured Intercourse Knavery Perfidy

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Edmund Burke (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Edmund Burke (Illustrated)

“By the disposition of a stupendous wisdom, moulding together the great mysterious incorporation of the human race, the whole, at one time, is never old, or middle-aged, or young; but, in a condition of unchangeable constancy, moves on through the varied tenor of perpetual decay, fall, renovation, and progression.”

Source: The Portable Edmund Burke

“Religion, to have any force upon men's understandings,--indeed, to exist at all,--must be supposed paramount to law, and independent for its substance upon any human institution, else it would be the absurdest thing in the world,--an acknowledged cheat.”

Men World Humans Would Be Law Religion Force Understanding Independent Institutions Substance Cheat Paramount

Book:The works and correspondence of...Edmund Burke

Source: The works and correspondence of...Edmund Burke

“Facts are to the mind what food is to the body. On the due digestion of the former depend the strength and wisdom of the one, just as vigor and health depend on the other. The wisest in council, the ablest in debate, and the most agreeable companion in the commerce of human life, is that man who has assimilated to his understanding the greatest number of facts.”

Men Mind Humans Facts Body Life Is Understanding Numbers Depends Dues Debate Former Human Life Companion Commerce Council Wisest Vigor Digestion E Commerce Strength And Wisdom

Author:Edmund Burke

“Government is the exercise of all the great qualities of the human mind.”

Mind Humans Government Quality Exercise Human Mind Great Qualities

Book:The Speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke in the House of Commons and in Westminster Hall: In Four Volumes

Source: The Speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke in the House of Commons and in Westminster Hall: In Four Volumes

“Politics ought to be adjusted not to human reasonings but to human nature, of which reason is but a part and by no means the greatest part.”

Humans Mean Reason Human Nature Ought Reasoning

Book:Maxims and opinions, moral, political and economical, with characters, from the works of ... Edmund Burke

Source: Maxims and opinions, moral, political and economical, with characters, from the works of ... Edmund Burke

“All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.”

Humans Government Political Politics Virtue Benefits Commitment Compromise Enjoyment Resolution Prudent Negotiating Win Win Bartering

Author:Edmund Burke

“The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind, is curiosity.”

Mind Firsts Humans Emotion Liberty Emotional Curiosity Human Mind Simplest Human Emotions Intellectual Curiosity

Book:On Taste, on the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution & a Letter to a Noble Lord

Source: On Taste, on the Sublime and Beautiful, Reflections on the French Revolution & a Letter to a Noble Lord

“All human laws are, properly speaking, only declaratory; they may alter the mode and application, but have no power over the substance of original justice.”

Humans Law Justice Judging Originals Substance

Author:Edmund Burke

“The march of the human mind is slow.”

Mind Humans Progress March Human Mind

Book:The Speeches of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, with Memoir and Historical Introductions. By James Burke

Source: The Speeches of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, with Memoir and Historical Introductions. By James Burke

“Next to love, Sympathy is the divinest passion of the human heart.”

Humans Heart Passion Next Sympathy Human Heart Condolences My Sympathy Sympathy Condolences Condolence Message Sympathy And Love

Author:Edmund Burke

“A good parson once said that where mystery begins religion ends. Cannot I say, as truly at least, of human laws, that where mystery begins justice ends?”

Humans Said Ends Law Justice Mystery Investing

Book:The Writings and Speeches of Edmund Burke: Volume I: The Early Writings

Source: The Writings and Speeches of Edmund Burke: Volume I: The Early Writings

“Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants.”

Want Humans Government Human Wisdom

Author:Edmund Burke

“I cannot stand forward, and give praise or blame to any thing which relates to human actions, and human concerns, on a simple view of the subject as it stands stripped of every relation, in all the nakedness and solitude of metaphysical abstraction. Circumstances (which with some gentlemen pass for nothing) give in reality to every political principle its distinguishing colour, and discriminating effect. The circumstances are what render every civil and political scheme beneficial or noxious to mankind.”

“The more accurately we search into the human mind, the stronger traces we everywhere find of his wisdom who made it.”

Mind Humans Made Wisdom Stronger Made It Human Mind

Author:Edmund Burke

“Gambling is a principle inherent in human nature.”

Humans Principles Human Nature Gambling Inherent Gamble

Author:Edmund Burke