On the record
They seek no further for merit than the preamble of a patent or the inscription on a tomb.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “They seek no further for merit than the preamble of a patent or the inscription on a tomb.”
Editor's note · Context
Burke comments on how superficial assessments of merit can be based on titles and inscriptions.
Share
More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
The speculative line of demarcation, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable.
Jan 1, 1790
By adhering in this manner and on those principles to our forefathers, we are guided, not by the superstition of antiquarians, but by the spirit of philosophic analogy.
Jan 1, 1790
They look upon the legal hereditary succession of their crown as among their rights, not as among their wrongs,--as a benefit, not as a grievance,--as a security for their liberty, not as a badge of servitude.
Jan 1, 1790
As he is not to obey us, but we are to obey the law in him, our Constitution has made no sort of provision towards rendering him, as a servant, in any degree responsible.
Other voices in this conversation
