Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: “When a great man has some one great object in view to be achieved in a given time, it may be absolutely necessary for…”

On the record
When a great man has some one great object in view to be achieved in a given time, it may be absolutely necessary for him to walk out of all the common roads, and, if his fortune permits it, to hold himself out as a splendid example.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke acknowledges that great leaders may need to diverge from conventional paths to achieve significant goals.

Share

More from Edmund Burke

Jan 1, 1790

Let us add, if we please, but let us preserve what they have left; and standing on the firm ground of the British Constitution, let us be satisfied to admire, rather than attempt to follow in their desperate flights, the aëronauts of…

gutenberg.org
Jan 1, 1790

The improvements of the National Assembly are superficial, their errors fundamental.

gutenberg.org
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.

gutenberg.org
Jan 1, 1790

Not being illuminated with the light of which the gentlemen of France tell us they have got so abundant a share, they acted under a strong impression of the ignorance and fallibility of mankind.

gutenberg.org

Other voices in this conversation