On the record
When the popular member is narrowed in his ideas and rendered timid in his proceedings, the service of the crown will be the sole nursery of statesmen.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “When the popular member is narrowed in his ideas and rendered timid in his proceedings, the service of the crown will be…”
Editor's note · Context
This quote suggests that a lack of boldness in public representatives can lead to a reliance on the crown for leadership.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
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.
Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
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.
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