Walter Bagehot Quotes

A collection of quotes by Walter Bagehot.

Walter Bagehot was a prominent British journalist, economist, and political analyst, born in 1826. He is best known for his contributions to political theory, particularly his analysis of the British constitution. Bagehot served as the editor-in-chief of The Economist magazine for over 15 years, during which he shaped the publication's influential editorial stance. His notable works include "Lombard Street" and "The English Constitution," which have had a lasting impact on discussions surrounding finance, politics, and governance. Bagehot's insightful observations and writings continue to be studied and cherished in the fields of economics and political science.

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you c

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

So long as war is the main business of nations, temporary de

So long as war is the main business of nations, temporary despotism - despotism during the campaign - is indispensable.

Life is a school of probability

Life is a school of probability

No real English gentleman, in his secret soul, was ever sorr

No real English gentleman, in his secret soul, was ever sorry for the death of a political economist.

The best history is but like the art of Rembrandt it casts a

The best history is but like the art of Rembrandt it casts a vivid light on certain selected causes, on those which were best and greatest it leaves all the rest in shadow and unseen.

One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a n

One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.

The most intellectual of men are moved quite as much by the

The most intellectual of men are moved quite as much by the circumstances which they are used to as by their own will. The active voluntary part of a man is very small, and if it were not economized by a sleepy kind of habit, its results would be null.

The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and

The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.

It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; b

It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations.

An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: g

An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.

So long as war is the main business of nations, temporary de

So long as war is the main business of nations, temporary despotism -- despotism during the campaign -- is indispensable.

An ambassador is not simply an agent; he is also a spectacle

An ambassador is not simply an agent; he is also a spectacle.

Dullness in matters of government is a good sign, and not a

Dullness in matters of government is a good sign, and not a bad one - in particular, dullness in parliamentary government is a test of its excellence, an indication of its success.

Writers like teeth are divided into incisors and grinders.

Writers like teeth are divided into incisors and grinders.

Authors & Writing

Conquest is the missionary of valor, and the hard impact of

Conquest is the missionary of valor, and the hard impact of military virtues beats meanness out of the world.

War both needs and generates certain virtues; not the highes

War both needs and generates certain virtues; not the highest, but what may be called the preliminary virtues, as valor, veracity, the spirit of obedience, the habit of discipline. Any of these, and of others like them, when possessed by a nation, and no matter how generated, will give them a military advantage, and make them more likely to stay in the race of nations.

A bureaucracy is sure to think that its duty is to augment o

A bureaucracy is sure to think that its duty is to augment official power, official business, or official members, rather than to leave free the energies of mankind; it overdoes the quantity of government, as well as impairs its quality. The truth is, that a skilled bureaucracy is, though it boasts of an appearance of science, quite inconsistent with the true principles of the art of business.

An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous fa

An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind.

History is strewn with the wrecks of nations which have gain

History is strewn with the wrecks of nations which have gained a little progressiveness at the cost of a great deal of hard manliness, and have thus prepared themselves for destruction as soon as the movements of the world gave a chance for it.

A princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal

A princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.