On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
To tell the people that they are relieved by the dilapidation of their public estate is a cruel and insolent imposition.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “To tell the people that they are relieved by the dilapidation of their public estate is a cruel and insolent imposition.”
Editor's note · Context
In his critique of revolutionary policies, this statement condemns the deception of telling people they benefit from the destruction of public assets.
Share
More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
Jan 1, 1790
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
Jan 1, 1790
Whatever they are, I wish my countrymen rather to recommend to our neighbors the example of the British Constitution than to take models from them for the improvement of our own.
Other voices in this conversation
