Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke, (1729-1797) Irish-born British statesman, parliamentary orator, and political thinker

Edmund Burke Quote

“The only liberty that is valuable is a liberty connected with order; that not only exists along with order and virtue, but which cannot exist at all without them. It inheres in good and steady government, as in its substance and vital principle.”

Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke
~ Edmund Burke


Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

ABSOLUTELY ! ! ! Natural law defines that which is (the finite of physics, fiscal law, rights etc.). Order; is an authoritative direction or instruction setting a condition at which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things, rights and to its purpose, methodical or harmonious arrangement. When the 2 (law and order) are in harmony, there is liberty. By way of example: It is a lawful right to travel freely from point A to point B or, point B to point A. If that right were exercised at the same time (people traveling from A to B and B to A) there would be a collision and infringement on all parties. Order, directs or instructs said people in traffic to travel on the right or left of each other. It is not law to travel on the left or right, it is order that sets the methodology of rights harmonious arrangement. If it were law to travel on the left or the right, everyone in the U.K. or, the U.S.A. would be dead. It is compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity, denial of ownership, etc. that is the injustice that severs the virtue of order's connection to liberty - liberty is lost.

Mike, Norwalk

a side note, the Constitution is not law but rather, an ordering document. oops, didn't mean to hit the star rating again.

jim k, Austin, Tx

Please excuse my cynicism , but the word "good" and "government" don't belong in the same sentence. There is no such thing as good government, just some that are slightly less oppressive than others. Like a minimum security prison and a maximum security prison. To quote L. Neal. Smith, "Government is a disease masquerading as it's own cure".

E Archer, NYC

Whenever I hear a politician talking about 'order,' I cringe. Whose order? OK, from a natural law perspective, there is a corresponding natural order -- just look at a flower or a babbling brook. But an imposed 'ordering' of society based upon a particular aim assumes its own correctness, and those that resist such dictates are considered 'disorderly' and you know what we do with the disorderly... All attempts to force a particular order are inimical to freedom, but many identify themselves with a group and willingly bow to the ordering of that group, no matter how out of touch their collective desire is from the natural and organic ordering of society.

@

Get a Quote-a-Day!

Liberty Quotes sent to your mail box daily.