Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go ill together.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Great empires need large-minded leaders, not small ones.
- In plain terms
- Big empires need big thinkers.
- What can you take from it?
- Leaders must match the scale of their empire.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a leader great?
- Do minds matter more than size?
Another view
Small minds can sometimes lead effectively.
More from Edmund Burke
It is the love of the [British] people; it is their attachment to their government, from the sense of the deep stake they have in such a glorious institution, …
Permalink to quote #80 By adverting to the dignity of this high calling our ancestors have turned a savage wilderness into a glorious empire: and have made the most extensive, and th…
Permalink to quote #82 Deny them [the colonies] this participation of freedom, and you break that sole bond, which originally made, and must still preserve the unity of the empire.
Permalink to quote #79
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