On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
All contrivances by ballot we know experimentally to be vain and childish to prevent a discovery of inclinations.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “All contrivances by ballot we know experimentally to be vain and childish to prevent a discovery of inclinations.”
Editor's note · Context
In his critique of the French Revolution, Burke dismisses the use of ballots as ineffective in concealing true inclinations.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
Jan 1, 1790
But when the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service.
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
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.
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