But he had no failings which were not owing to a noble cause,--to an ardent, generous, perhaps an immoderate passion for fame: a passion which is the instinct of all great souls.
Edmund Burke: “But he had no failings which were not owing to a noble cause,--to an ardent, generous, perhaps an immoderate passion for…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke attributes the failings of a prominent figure to their passionate pursuit of fame.
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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.
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.
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.
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.





