Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: Whoever claims a right by birth to govern there must find in his breast, or must conjure up in it, an energy not to be…

On the record
Whoever claims a right by birth to govern there must find in his breast, or must conjure up in it, an energy not to be expected, perhaps not always to be wished for, in well-ordered states.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke discusses the expectations of those who claim a right to govern by birth, suggesting a need for extraordinary qualities.

Share

More from Edmund Burke

Jan 1, 1790

They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.

gutenberg.org
Jan 1, 1790

Rome, under her emperors, united the evils of both systems; and this unnatural combination was one great cause of her ruin.

gutenberg.org
Jan 1, 1790

The improvements of the National Assembly are superficial, their errors fundamental.

gutenberg.org
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.

gutenberg.org

Other voices in this conversation