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There is no safety for honest men, but by believing all possible evil of evil men, and by acting with promptitude, decision, and steadiness on that belief.

Edmund Burke

It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.
EDMUND BURKE

Anxiety Errors Loud Popular Public Welfare
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.
EDMUND BURKE

Abuse Dangerous Greatness Power
All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing as they must if they believe they can do nothing. There is nothing worse because the council of despair is declaration of irresponsibility; it is Pilate washing his hands.
EDMUND BURKE

Council Evil Hands Irresponsibility Necessary Success Wash
In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.
EDMUND BURKE

Citizenship Democracy Exercise Majority Minority Oppression
There is a boundary to men’s passions when they act from feelings; but none when they are under the influence of imagination.
EDMUND BURKE

Act Boundary Feeling Imagination Influence Man Passion
It is the nature of all greatness not to be exact.
EDMUND BURKE

Exact Greatness Nature
It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.
EDMUND BURKE

Constitution Forever Freedom Mindset Passion
All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter.
EDMUND BURKE

Barter Found Government Human Virtue
When a great man has some one object in view to be achieved in a given time, it may be absolutely necessary for him to walk out of all the common roads.
EDMUND BURKE

Achievement Greatness Man Object Road View
Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.
EDMUND BURKE

Betrayal Himself Industry Opinion Representation Sacrifice Service
Justice is itself the great standing policy of civil society; and any eminent departure from it, under any circumstances, lies under the suspicion of being no policy at all.
EDMUND BURKE

Greatness Justice Policy
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
EDMUND BURKE

Evil Goodness Man Necessary
The great inlet by which a colour for oppression has entered into the world is by one man’s pretending to determine concerning the happiness of another.
EDMUND BURKE

Color Determination Greatness Happiness Oppression Pretend
To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
EDMUND BURKE

Digest Eat Reading Reflection
The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind, is curiosity.
EDMUND BURKE

Curiosity Discover Human Kind Simplicity
The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.
EDMUND BURKE

Delusion Give Up Liberty People

There is no safety for honest men, but by believing all possible evil of evil men, and by acting with promptitude, decision, and steadiness on that belief.

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There is no safety for honest men, but by believing all possible evil of evil men, and by acting with promptitude, decision, and steadiness on that belief.

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Popular Authors

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