An eagerness and zeal for dispute on every subject, and with every one, shows great self-sufficiency, that never-failing sign of great self-ignorance.
William Pitt the Elder (1708–1778) British statesman, orator [Lord Chatham, 1st Earl of Chatham]
Correspondence of William Pitt, vol 4 (1840) [ed. Taylor and Pringle]
Quotations by:
Pitt, William the Elder
The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail — its roof may shake — the wind may blow through it — the storm may enter — the rain may enter — but the King of England cannot enter! — all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!
William Pitt the Elder (1708–1778) British statesman, orator [Lord Chatham, 1st Earl of Chatham]
Speech on the Excise Bill, House of Commons (Mar 1763)
(Source)
Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.
William Pitt the Elder (1708–1778) British statesman, orator [Lord Chatham, 1st Earl of Chatham]
Speech, House of Lords (9 Jan 1770)
Regarding the case of John Wilkes. More famously stated by Lord Acton in 1887.