Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

What is valuable is not new, and what is new is not valuable.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

In my mind, he was guilty of no error he — was chargeable with no exaggeration — he was betrayed by his fancy into no metaphor, who once said that all we see about us, Kings, Lords, and Commons, the whole machinery of the State, all the apparatus of the system, and its varied workings, end in simply bringing twelve men into a box.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

In my mind, he was guilty of no error, he was chargeable with no exaggeration, he was betrayed by his fancy into no metaphor, who once said, that all we see about us, Kings, Lords, and Commons, the whole machinery of the State, all the apparatus of the system, and its varied workings, end in simply bringing twelve good men into a box.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Do you think that a reporter has a right to supply or suppress any part of a judgment?

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

The judicial ought to be kept entirely distinct from the legislative and executive power in the State. This separation is necessary both to secure the independence of the judicial functions and to prevent their being influenced by the interests of party or by the voice of the people.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

The Judge has not organs to know and to deal with the text of the foreign law, and therefore requires the assistance of a foreign lawyer who knows how to interpret it.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

A contract executed without any part performance.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Equity has not relieved against gross improvidence.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

The Sovereign can only act by advisers, and through the instrumentality of those who are neither infallible nor impeccable— answerable, indeed, for all that the irresponsible Sovereign may do, but liable to err through undue influence, and to be swayed by improper motives.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Real knowledge never promoted either turbulence or unbelief; but its progress is the forerunner of liberality and enlightened toleration.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Not a step can we take in any direction without perceiving the most extraordinary traces of design; and the skill everywhere conspicuous is calculated in so vast a proportion of instances to promote the happiness of living creatures, and especially of ourselves, that we feel no hesitation in concluding that, if we knew the whole scheme of Providence, every part would appear to be in harmony with a plan of absolute benevolence.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Death was now armed with a new terror.

— Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux