Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: Poets who have to deal with an audience not yet graduated in the school of the rights of men, and who must apply…

On the record
Poets who have to deal with an audience not yet graduated in the school of the rights of men, and who must apply themselves to the moral constitution of the heart, would not dare to produce such a triumph as a matter of exultation.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke reflects on the challenges poets face when addressing audiences unfamiliar with human rights.

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