On the record
He that sets his house on fire because his fingers are frost-bitten can never be a fit instructor in the method of providing our habitations with a cheerful and salutary warmth.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “He that sets his house on fire because his fingers are frost-bitten can never be a fit instructor in the method of…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke uses a metaphor to illustrate the folly of destructive actions taken in desperation.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
If any of them should happen to propose a scheme of liberty soberly limited, and defined with proper qualifications, he will be immediately outbid by his competitors, who will produce something more splendidly popular.
Jan 1, 1790
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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.
Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
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