William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Quotes

If he is reelected, I can keep him in ignorance of my affairs.

It is a stupid goose that listens to the fox preach.

Power always impresses the young and foolish.

He who has lost his money-belt will go where you wish.

Remember my titles? I don't get poisoned,I do the poisoning.I'm the princess of it.

There are a great many people who have a vested interest in maintaining the stupidity of the American public.

What you don’t know, you can’t tell. Or made to tell.

The things they don't tell you in schools these days, geez. Have a look at your owners. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice; you have owners. They own you. They own everything.

But I got this far, didn’t I?” he said slowly. “They thought I’d die in the attempt, but I’m here . . . and you’re in my power. . . . I’m the one with the wand. . . . you’re at my mercy. . .

They were tricky, those demons. Could they be trusted? Of course they could be trusted. She'd created them. She owned them. They wouldn't lead her astray.

They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening

I think: the powers like to talk about "freedom" in order to wash the population's brains.

Welcome to the world of bullshit, my dear. You have arrived.

Some people represent authority without ever possessing any of their own.

When it comes to controlling human beings there is no better instrument than lies. Because, you see, humans live by beliefs. And beliefs can be manipulated. The power to manipulate beliefs is the only thing that counts ... Who knows what use they’ll make of you? Maybe you’ll help them to persuade people to buy things they don’t need, or hate things they know nothing about, or hold beliefs that make them easy to handle, or doubt the truths that might save them.

To claim power over what you do not understand is not wise, nor is the end of it likely to be good.

The only way you can control people is to lie to them. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them.

I'm not interested in awards. I never have been. I don't think they are important. Don't get me wrong, if somebody gives me a prize, I thank them as gratefully as I know how, because it's very nice to be given a prize. But I don't think that awards ought to be sought. It encourages our business to be competitive in absolutely the wrong way. We're not sportsmen; we're not trying to come in first.

A regime that wraps itself in the flag of truth fears truth most of all, for if its story is falsified to the slightest degree, its authority is gone.

I used to be sceptic, but not anymore, because now I am positive that I'm getting screwed.

It is a blind goose that cometh to the fox's sermon.

We thought we were done with these things but we were wrong. We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.

I shouldn't have to ask for your permission for me to put you in my lie!

If you send a damned fool to St. Louis, and you don't tell them he's a damned fool, they'll never find out.

Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool.