Real Valor

Edmund Burke, the British statesman, philosopher, and father of modern Conservatism was born on this day in 1729. His strong defense of liberty, including the right of American colonists to throw off the shackles of Parliament, was epitomized in his resounding call to action, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." It was of Burke that Sir Walter Scott made his famous observation, "Real valor consists not in being insensible to danger, but in being prompt to confront and disarm it."