Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Opinion popularity is not measured by how loud the applause is.
In plain terms
Don't judge opinions by loud applause.
What can you take from it?
Loudness does not reflect true opinion.

Where it applies

  • reading polls
  • analyzing events

Putting it to work

  • measure quiet sentiment

Questions to consider

  • How do we measure opinion?
  • Is noise reliable?

Another view

Sometimes noise does indicate strong opinion.

More from Edmund Burke

  1. Jacobinism is the revolt of the enterprising talents of a country against its property.

    Permalink to quote #152
  2. Manners are of more importance than laws... Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, …

    Permalink to quote #154
  3. All those instances to be found in history, whether real or fabulous, of a doubtful public spirit, at which morality is perplexed, reason is staggered, and fro…

    Permalink to quote #151

Related quotes

  1. The first casualty when war comes is truth.

    Hiram JohnsonHiram Johnson quote #1
  2. Truth is a new word in Europe (and elsewhere).

    Alain BadiouAlain Badiou quote #1
  3. And those people should not be listened to who keep saying the voice of the people is the voice of God, since the riotousness of the crowd is always very close…

    AlcuinAlcuin quote #1