A great empire and little minds go ill together.
Edmund BurkeRead
Reflect how you are to govern a people who think they ought to be free, and think they are not. Your scheme yields no revenue; it yields nothing but discontent, disorder, disobedience; and such is the state of America, that after wading through up to your eyes in blood, you could only end up where you begun; that is, to tax where no revenue is to be found... all is confusion beyond it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the futility of governing a people who believe they should be free but do not feel so, leading to disorder and dissatisfaction.
Edmund Burke discusses the inherent challenges of ruling over a population that perceives itself as oppressed and seeks freedom. He emphasizes that attempts to impose authority or control results only in resentment and chaos, ultimately leading to a cycle of violence and frustration for both the rulers and the governed. The societal state he describes points to the consequences of ignoring the desires and sentiments of the people, alluding to a historical reference of conflict without resolution.
Themes
GovernanceFreedomDiscontentAuthorityOrder
In practice
Example use cases
During a political rally discussing the importance of citizen voices in democracy.
More from Edmund Burke
All quotes →To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
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Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.
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The hottest fires in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.
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Society can overlook murder, adultery or swindling; it never forgives preaching of a new gospel.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
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