On the record
They are imposed to govern our conduct, not to exercise our ingenuity; and therefore our opinions about them ought not to be in a state of fluctuation, but steady, sure, and resolved.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “They are imposed to govern our conduct, not to exercise our ingenuity; and therefore our opinions about them ought not…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke asserts that duties are meant to guide our actions rather than to be subjects of constant debate.
Share
More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
The improvements of the National Assembly are superficial, their errors fundamental.
Jan 1, 1790
It is an evil inevitably attendant on the dominion of sovereign democratic republics.
Jan 1, 1790
In all this procedure I can discern neither the solid sense of plain dealing nor the subtle dexterity of ingenious fraud.
Jan 1, 1790
Those who know what virtuous liberty is cannot bear to see it disgraced by incapable heads, on account of their having high-sounding words in their mouths.
Other voices in this conversation
