Charles James Fox Quotes

38 Sourced Quotes

... against which we should direct all our force, the navy of France: in the destruction of her marine we might see some hope of recovering America; but while our army remained in that country, we were to expect nothing from its operations. On the continent of Europe, it might be employed; there we might contend with France, in a manner that would make her feel that her own consequence was at stake. But the old Whig system of alliances on the continent had been given up, and we were left to fight all our battles by ourselves. If these alliances were renewed, France might then be taught, that rashness, not prudence, had made her enter into the American confederacy... America... might be won in Europe, while England might be ruined in America.

Charles James Fox
... he was indebted to his right honourable friend [Edmund Burke] for the greatest share of the political knowledge he possessed,—his political education had been formed under him,—his instructions had invariably governed his principles.

Charles James Fox
[The situation was] as in the case of his majesty's having undergone a natural and perfect demise... There was then a person in the kingdom different from any other person that any existing precedents could refer to—an heir apparent of full age and capacity to exercise the royal power. It behoved them, therefore, to waste not a moment unnecessarily, but to proceed with all becoming speed and all becoming diligence to restore the sovereign power and the exercise of royal authority.

Charles James Fox
I stand upon this great principle. I say that the people of England have a right to control the executive power, by the interference of their representatives in this House of parliament. The right honorable gentleman [William Pitt] maintains the contrary. He is the cause of our political enmity.

Charles James Fox
There is not a power in Europe, no not even Bonaparte's that is so unlimited [as the British monarchy].

Charles James Fox
... the question now was... whether that beautiful fabric [the English constitution]... was to be maintained in that freedom... for which blood had been spilt; or whether we were to submit to that system of despotism, which had so many advocates in this country.

Charles James Fox
The true simple question of the present dispute is, whether the House of Lords and Court Influence shall predominate over the House of Commons, and annihilate its existence, or whether the House of Commons... shall have power to.... regulate the prerogative of the Crown, which was ever ready to seize upon the freedom of the Electors of this country.

Charles James Fox
The brightest jewel that now remained in his Majesty's crown.
On India

Charles James Fox
We shall have several hard fights in the H. of Cs. this week and next, in some of which I fear we shall be beat, but whether we are or not I think it certain that in about a fortnight we shall come in; If we carry our questions we shall come in in a more creditable and triumphant way, but at any rate the Prince must be Regent and of consequence the Ministry must be changed... I am rather afraid they will get some cry against the Prince for grasping as they call it at too much power, but I am sure that I can not in conscience advise him to give up any thing that is really necessary to his Government, or indeed to claim any thing else as Regent, but the full power of a King, to which he is certainly entitled.

Charles James Fox
It is intolerable that it should be in the power of one blockhead to do so much mischief.

Charles James Fox
But at no one time had he given an unqualified opinion of the governments which succeeded that event [the abolition of the French monarchy]; much less would he stand pledged to give the least countenance to the scenes of blood and cruelty which had been the almost inseparable attendants on the varied and successive governments that followed one another. He formed his opinion of government by the test of practice, and not by the theory and on paper.

Charles James Fox
On the suggestion of a peerage, in the last year of his life:
I will not close my politics in that foolish way.

Charles James Fox
Peace is the wish of the French of Italy Spain Germany and all the world, and Great Britain alone the cause of preventing its accomplishment, and this not for any point of honour or even interest, but merely lest there should be an example in the modern world of a great powerful Republic.

Charles James Fox