I would not take one of these as my arbitrator in a dispute for so much as a fish-pond; for, if he reserved the mud to me, he would be sure to give the water that fed the pool to my adversary.
Edmund Burke: “I would not take one of these as my arbitrator in a dispute for so much as a fish-pond; for, if he reserved the mud to…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke expresses his distrust in arbitrators who may favor the opposing party, using a metaphor about a fish-pond.
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In some people I see great liberty, indeed; in many, if not in the most, an oppressive, degrading servitude.
But when the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service.
They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
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.





