John Burns Quotes

The Thames is liquid history.

I neither drink nor smoke, because my schoolmaster impressed upon me three cardinal virtues; cleanliness in person, cleanliness in mind; temperance.

I recognise that Socialism has ended its purely theoretical course, and that the hour to construct has come.

Books are a real solace, friendships are good but action is better than all.

Why four great powers should fight over Serbia no fellow can understand.

I am depressed rather at the wave of brutality sweeping over the country.

In this work I have received the opposition of a number of men who only advocate the unobtainable because the immediately possible is beyond their moral courage, administrative ability, and their political prescience.

You come before me this morning with clean hands and clean collars. I want you to have clean tongues, clean manners, clean morals and clean characters.

For the moment and for some time great events have been denied me, forward action not come my way.

My duty is clear and at all costs will be done.

I believe, however, that impending events will call us and we must respond but where, with whom, and how?

Don't hustle old people.

I don't want boys to use their pencils for improper writing.

Individual effort is almost relatively impossible to cope with the big problem of poverty as we see it.

Judge men less by the labels they wear than by their persistent labour for sure if slow progress.

I must firmly adhere to the views I have held and practice, that Socialism to succeed must be practical, tolerant, cohesive and consciously compromising with Progressive forces running, if not so far, in parallel lines towards its own goal.

I don't want to be married. I don't know - it sounds crazy, but in my mind, it's all connected. You get married, you have kids, you grow old, then you die. Somehow, it seems to me, if you didn't get married, you wouldn't die.

The men who made the war were profuse in their praises of the man who kicked the P.M. out of his office and now degrades by his disloyal, dishonest and lying presence the greatest office in the State.

I am only doing now what I have ever done; and ever will continue to do - that is adapting past experience to present reform in the light of high ideals and future objects.

I am not ashamed to say that I am the son of a washerwoman.