Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: School-boys without tutors, minors without guardians, the world is let loose upon them with all its temptations, and…

On the record
School-boys without tutors, minors without guardians, the world is let loose upon them with all its temptations, and they are let loose upon the world with all the powers that despotism involves.
Said by
Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke uses a metaphor to describe the unpreparedness of young officials in the East India Company, likening them to schoolboys unleashed in a world of temptation.

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