William Ewart Gladstone - People Quotes

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I think that the principle of the Conservative Party is jealousy of liberty and of the people, only qualified by fear; but I think the principle of the Liberal Party is trust in the people, only qualified by prudence.

William Ewart Gladstone

Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence; conservatism is distrust of the people, tempered by fear.

William Ewart Gladstone

Ideal perfection is not the true basis of English legislation. We...have too much English sense to be drawn away by those sanguine delineations of what might possibly be attained in Utopia, from a path which promises to enable us to effect great good for the people of England.

William Ewart Gladstone

I mean this, that together with the so-called increase of expenditure there grows up what may be termed a spirit which, insensibly and unconsciously perhaps, but really, affects the spirit of the people, the spirit of parliament, the spirit of the public departments, and perhaps even the spirit of those whose duty it is to submit the estimates to parliament.

William Ewart Gladstone