A great empire and little minds go ill together.
Edmund BurkeRead
The public interest requires doing today those things that men of intelligence and good will would wish, five or ten years hence, had been done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We should act today in ways that will be seen as wise and beneficial in the future.
Edmund Burke's quote emphasizes the importance of foresight and responsibility in our actions. It encourages individuals and leaders to consider the long-term impact of their decisions, advocating for choices that will be viewed positively in hindsight, thereby serving the greater good of society.
Themes
ResponsibilityForesightPublic InterestFutureWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
A politician could quote this during a speech to underscore the importance of sustainable policy-making.
More from Edmund Burke
All quotes βTo read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
Edmund BurkeRead
Flattery 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
Similar quotes
According to my definition of God, I'm not an atheist. Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes, I'm looking at God. Whenever I'm listening to something, I'm listening to God.
Pete SeegerRead
If eternity had a season, it would be midsummer. Autumn, winter, spring are all change and passage, but at the height of summer the year stands poised. It's only a passing moment, but even as it passes the heart knows it cannot change.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
Jim Crow segregation was bipartisan. The refusal of women suffrage was bipartisan. The denial of the basic dignity of members of the LGBTQ community has long been bipartisan. The Three-Fifths Compromise was the creation of a punitive national unity at the expense of black people's basic humanity.
Raphael WarnockRead
No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.
Pope FrancisRead
We betray our modern arrogance and forget the place of mystery in God's dealing with us.
Os GuinnessRead
Genuine equality between the sexes can only be realized in the process of the socialist transformation of society as a whole.
Mao ZedongRead