The statement above did not compare the sentiments of the heart and the head. Carr and Company, … Continue readingĪ boy of fifteen who is not a democrat is good for nothing, and he is no better who is a democrat at twenty. The topic was a change in political viewpoint, but the remark did not contrast liberal versus conservative: 1829, Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Edited by Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Volume 4, Entry date: January 1799, Quote, F. In 1799 a thematic precursor of this expression was attributed to John Adams who was the second president of the United States. Anselme Batbie lived between 18.īelow are additional selected citations in chronological order. However, QI has not located the quotation under investigation in the writings of Burke. Several of my friends urged me to respond with Burke’s famous line: “Anyone who is not a republican at twenty casts doubt on the generosity of his soul but he who, after thirty years, perseveres, casts doubt on the soundness of his mind.”īatbie was probably referring to the statesman Edmund Burke who was noted for his support of the American Revolution and his later condemnation of the French Revolution. Plusieurs de mes amis m’engageaient à répondre par le trait célèbre de Burke: « Celui qui n’est pas républicain à vingt ans fait douter de la générosité de son âme mais celui qui, après trente ans, persévère, fait douter de la rectitude de son esprit. Batbie (On this subject, the … Continue reading Boldface has been added: 1874, Histoire de la Révolution de 1870-71 par Jules Claretie, Livre Second, Chapitre 2, Comment on letter: Le Conservateur du Gers publiait à ce propos la lettre de M. Below is an excerpt in French followed by an English translation. Interestingly, Batbie, credited the remark to “Burke”. The book included a reprint of a public 1872 letter from academic and politician Anselme Polycarpe Batbie who employed the saying. Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match known to QI appeared in a history book titled “Histoire de la Révolution de 1870-71” by French literary figure Jules Claretie. Would you please explore this complex topic? Within the context of these sayings the terms “républicain”, “socialist”, and “liberal” were all on the left of the political spectrum. Political terminology has changed over time, and it differs in distinct locales. If you aren’t a liberal when you’re young, you have no heart, but if you aren’t a middle-aged conservative, you have no head. If you’re not a socialist before you’re twenty-five, you have no heart if you are a socialist after twenty-five, you have no head.
Not to be a républicain at twenty is proof of want of heart to be one at thirty is proof of want of head. There is a family of sayings that present a mordant judgment on this ideological evolution. Edmund Burke? Anselme Batbie? Victor Hugo? King Oscar II of Sweden? George Bernard Shaw? François Guizot? Jules Claretie? Georges Clemenceau? Benjamin Disraeli? Winston Churchill? Anonymous?ĭear Quote Investigator: Some individuals change their political orientation as they grow older.
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