Oliver Cromwell Quotes


… a rotten plank, upon which no man could trust himself without sinking.


Context

In his early days Cromwell extolled the virtues of republicanism, but once in power he changed his mind and became a de facto dictator.


Citations

Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658, Lord Protector of England, Description of Republican Government, Quoted in Cato, “Letter 8—To the People of Pennsylvania,” in American Archives: Fourth Series, 5

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

Related Quotes

This quotation is a great demonstration of how much wiser and the better politician of all the crowned heads of Europe that Queen Victoria was. There were stirrings of freedom and desire for parliamentary government throughout Europe. Queen Victoria, even though and perhaps because she was a young woman, had a great feel for fairness and reasonableness and had read a great deal of history. There were some radical red socialists calling for complete radical revolution scaring European Royalty profoundly. They reacted very conservatively and with reaction, reverting to more tyrannical practices of the past urged in that path by very conservative, right wing advisors. Victoria also had little respect for some of the monarchs who had little interest in their people and much with their personal power and wealth. In the end, it was England which was the only nation which never had a serious radical socialist / communist threat, and that had much to do with Victoria’s political acumen and wisdom.


Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
  • Born: April 25, 1599
  • Died: September 3, 1658
  • Nationality: English
  • Profession: Farmer, Parliamentarian, Military Commander

Oliver Cromwell was an English general and statesman who, first as a subordinate and later as Commander-in-Chief, led armies of the Parliament of England against King Charles I during the English Civil War, subsequently ruling the British Isles as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. He acted simultaneously as head of state and head of government of the new republican commonwealth.