Edmund Burke: “What I have obtained was the fruit of no bargain, the production of no intrigue, the result of no compromise, the effect…”

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.

But to form a free government, that is, to temper together these opposite elements of liberty and restraint in one consistent work, requires much thought, deep reflection, a sagacious, powerful, and combining mind.

It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.

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.