To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
Edmund BurkeRead
A great empire and little minds go ill together.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that small-minded individuals cannot effectively manage or contribute to a large and complex entity like an empire.
Edmund Burke's quote reflects the idea that the successful governance of a great empire requires vision, depth of thought, and the capacity to handle complexity. In contrast, those with limited perspective or understanding may struggle to navigate the challenges and responsibilities associated with leadership on such a grand scale. Therefore, the quote serves as a reminder of the necessity for wisdom and intelligence in positions of power.
Themes
EmpireMindsLeadershipWisdomGovernance
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about leadership qualities for a successful organization.
More from Edmund Burke
All quotes βFlattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
Edmund BurkeRead
The hottest fires in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.
Edmund BurkeRead
Society can overlook murder, adultery or swindling; it never forgives preaching of a new gospel.
Edmund BurkeRead
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund BurkeRead
Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites.
Edmund BurkeRead
Similar quotes
We have long forgotten the ritual by which the house of our life was erected. But when it is under assault and enemy bombs are already taking their toll, what enervated, perverse antiquities do they not lay bare in the foundations.
Walter BenjaminRead
For instance, I never complained that my birthday was overlooked; people were even surprised, with a touch of admiration, by my discretion on this subject. But the reason for my disinterestedness was even more discreet: I longed to be forgotten in order to be able to complain to myself... Once my solitude was thoroughly proved, I could surrender to the charms of a virile self-pity.
Albert CamusRead
Being taught to despise your body is being taught to perhaps admire someone else's body more than yours - being taught that your body is good for certain things and not for others.
Wangechi MutuRead
Iβm a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.
Michael ShermerRead
God who preceded all existence is a refuge.
MaimonidesRead
The consistent thinker, the consistently moral man, is either a walking mummy or else, if he has not succeeded in stifling all his vitality, a fanatical monomaniac.
Aldous HuxleyRead