Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: A seat in this House, for good purposes, for bad purposes, for no purposes at all, (except the mere consideration…

On the record
A seat in this House, for good purposes, for bad purposes, for no purposes at all, (except the mere consideration derived from being concerned in the public counsels,) will ever be a first-rate object of ambition in England.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke asserts that ambition for a parliamentary seat remains a significant motivator in English politics.

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