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My own disposition is against being in the government unless I am part of the Supreme Direction.

— Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner

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Source, in full

Lord Milner, in a letter to his future wife, Violet Cecil, on 8 December 1916, the same day he received a letter from Prime Minister Lloyd George asking him to be a member of his war cabinet. From John Marlowe, "Milner, Apostle of Empire" (1976), pp. 253-254

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Government

More quotes by Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner

If, ten years hence, there are three men of British race to two of Dutch, the country [i.e. South Africa] will be safe and prosperous.

The prospects for peace were, "even blacker than a year ago".

Instead of it (World War I) being a war to end wars - it (the Paris Peace Conference) is a Peace to end Peace.

I have a strong hope and conviction that, with moderation and good sense, and a policy of firmness, patience and good temper, these difficulties may yet be satisfactorily, if not immediately settled.

If we believe a thing to be bad, and if we have a right to prevent it, it is our duty to try to prevent it and to damn the consequences.

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The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

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Bureaucracy and social harmony are inversely proportional to each other.

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There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.