---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In such a strait the wisest may well be…"
description: "\"In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the boldest staggered.\" — Edmund Burke"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg"
---

#  In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the…

![“In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the boldest staggered.” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg)

> “In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the boldest staggered.”

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In extreme circumstances, even the wisest can be confused and the bold may falter.

**In simple terms:** Crisis confuses the wise and overwhelms the bold.

Key Takeaway

Recognize limits of wisdom in crises.

Themes

wisdom courage crisis

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- financial market crashes
- political upheavals
- personal emergencies

Key Concepts

political theory philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance caution and boldness?
- When should you defer to expertise?

A Different Perspective

Bold actions can be reckless without careful thought.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Strait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strait/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [All those instances to be found in history, whether real or fabulous, of a doubtful public spirit, at which morality is perplexed, reason is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/all-those-instances-to-be-found-in-history-whether-real-or-fabulous/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Get that strait jacket that Heidenreich had and put it on Lita!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lawler/get-that-strait-jacket-that-heidenreich-had-and-put-it-on-lita/)

[Jerry Lawler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lawler/)

> [A war in the Taiwan Strait would destroy China's international relations overnight. It would destroy Chinese - Japanese relations, not to mention Chinese -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kirby/a-war-in-the-taiwan-strait-would-destroy-china-s-international/)

[William Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kirby/)

> [I went to L.A. to be Brad Pitt; now I just want to be Gene Hackman. I came to Nashville to be Kenny Chesney.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-kane/i-went-to-l-a-to-be-brad-pitt-now-i-just-want-to-be-gene-hackman-i/)

[Christian Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-kane/)

> [We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/we-apologise-for-the-laws-and-policies-of-successive-parliaments-and/)

[Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/)

> [None can less afford to delay than the aged sinner. Now is the time. Now or never. You have, as it were, one foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-alexander/none-can-less-afford-to-delay-than-the-aged-sinner-now-is-the-time/)

[Archibald Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-alexander/)

> [When I was 3, my mom sent in a video of me singing George Strait to 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mahone/when-i-was-3-my-mom-sent-in-a-video-of-me-singing-george-strait-to/)

[Austin Mahone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-mahone/)

> [The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and it is not helpful for any nation to suggest that it would attempt to restrict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-stennis/the-strait-of-hormuz-is-an-international-waterway-and-it-is-not/)

[John C. Stennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-stennis/)

> [Honour travels in a strait so narrow Where one but goes abreast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/honour-travels-in-a-strait-so-narrow-where-one-but-goes-abreast/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [We will not attain a state of perfection in this life, but we can and should press forward with faith in Christ along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/we-will-not-attain-a-state-of-perfection-in-this-life-but-we-can-and/)

[David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/)

> [Everybody in America who didn't come over the Bering Strait ice bridge stole his land from somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/everybody-in-america-who-didn-t-come-over-the-bering-strait-ice/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I always wished I had a song like that George Strait song, 'The Chair', 'cause it's basically just a guy trying to pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-shelton/i-always-wished-i-had-a-song-like-that-george-strait-song-the-chair/)

[Blake Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-shelton/)

> [A crooked log makes a strait fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-crooked-log-makes-a-strait-fire/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [I lost my mother when I was 7 and they put her in a mental hospital. My brother and I watched her being taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-lost-my-mother-when-i-was-7-and-they-put-her-in-a-mental-hospital/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [Facts are to the mind what food is to the body. On the due digestion of the former depend the strength and wisdom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/facts-are-to-the-mind-what-food-is-to-the-body-on-the-due-digestion/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

## More by Edmund Burke

> [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“Wise men will apply their remedies to vices, not to names; to the causes of evil which are permanent, not to the occasional organs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/wise-men-will-apply-their-remedies-to-vices-not-to-names-to-the/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [My vigour relents. I pardon something to the spirit of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/my-vigour-relents-i-pardon-something-to-the-spirit-of-liberty/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [A speculative despair is unpardonable where it our duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-speculative-despair-is-unpardonable-where-it-our-duty-to-act/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The great must submit to the dominion of prudence and of virtue, or none will long submit to the dominion of thegreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-must-submit-to-the-dominion-of-prudence-and-of-virtue-or/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [What is it we all seek for in an election? To answer its real purposes, you must first possess the means of knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/what-is-it-we-all-seek-for-in-an-election-to-answer-its-real-purposes/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [You can never plan the future by the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/you-can-never-plan-the-future-by-the-past/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [The great inlet by which a colour for oppression has entered into the world is by one man's pretending to determine concerning the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-inlet-by-which-a-colour-for-oppression-has-entered-into-the/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [By the disposition of a stupendous wisdom, moulding together the great mysterious incorporation of the human race, the whole, at one time, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/by-the-disposition-of-a-stupendous-wisdom-moulding-together-the-great/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Religion, to have any force upon men's understandings,--indeed, to exist at all,--must be supposed paramount to law, and independent for its substance upon any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/religion-to-have-any-force-upon-men-s-understandings-indeed-to-exist/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

[Explore all 595 Edmund Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

## More May quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/)

[Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/)

[Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/)

[Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/hard-times-may-test-me-they-cannot-destroy-me/)

[T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/)

Browse all 33,019 May quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the boldest staggered.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmund Burke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be-perplexed-and-the-boldest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "May"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be-perplexed-and-the-boldest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/edmund-burke-400_may_in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be_1559969.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In such a strait the wisest may well be perplexed and the boldest staggered.” — Edmund Burke",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Edmund Burke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In such a strait the wisest...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be-perplexed-and-the-boldest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-such-a-strait-the-wisest-may-well-be-perplexed-and-the-boldest/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
