He who has taken a trifle, perhaps as the reward of a good action, is obliged to be silent, when he sees whole nations desolated around him.
Edmund Burke: “He who has taken a trifle, perhaps as the reward of a good action, is obliged to be silent, when he sees whole nations…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke reflects on the silence of those who have accepted even minor unlawful rewards, despite witnessing widespread suffering.
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