They judge of every man's capacity for office by the offices he has filled; and the more offices, the more ability.
Edmund Burke: “They judge of every man's capacity for office by the offices he has filled; and the more offices, the more ability.”
On the record
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Burke criticizes the flawed logic that equates the number of offices held with a person's ability.
Share
More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
I would not exclude alteration neither; but even when I changed, it should be to preserve.
Jan 1, 1790
Our people will find employment enough for a truly patriotic, free, and independent spirit, in guarding what they possess from violation.
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 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.





