"I will venture to give one word by way of advice, and to express a hope that the study of the ancient classics will not be abandoned when they are no longer compulsory. Believe me, that to the man who wishes to study politics, or the art of persuasion, nothing can be more necessary than to imbue his mind with the spirit of the ancient poets and historians, that he may be able to infuse into his own arguments and compositions, and to draw from that pure and crystal fountain, some of the copious diction, high sentiment, and masculine thought, which so eminently distinguished those great men, but whom there is no hope of successfully rivalling."
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Prime Ministers of the United KingdomUniversity of Oxford alumniConservative Party (UK) politiciansWhig (British political party) politiciansLeaders of the House of Lords (United Kingdom)
Original Language: English
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Speech at his installation as Lord Rector of Glasgow University (21 December 1834), quoted in The Times (22 December 1834), p. 3
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Smith-Stanley%2C_14th_Earl_of_Derby
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Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
1805 – 1868
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby KG GCMG PC PC (Ire) (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. To date, he is the longest-serving leader of the Conservative Party. He is one of only four Br
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