--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can any man doubt whether it is better to…" description: "\"“Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great statesman or a common thief?”\" — Edward Bulwer-Lytton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg" --- # Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great… ![“Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great statesman or a common thief?” quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg) > ““Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great statesman or a common thief?”” [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness and criminality both have moral weight; the question challenges conventional virtue. **In simple terms:** Both great leaders and thieves have moral implications. Key Takeaway Consider the moral cost of power versus crime. Themes power ethics leadership Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - government service - criminal justice - personal ambition Key Concepts moral relativism political theory Questions to Reflect On - What defines a “great” statesman? - Can a thief act morally? A Different Perspective Greatness can be corrupt; thieves may be idealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The course of a great statesman resembles that of navigable rivers, avoiding immovable obstacles with noble bends of concession, seeking the broad levels of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-course-of-a-great-statesman-resembles-that-of-navigable-rivers/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [A great statesman is he who knows when to depart from traditions, as well as when to adhere to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/a-great-statesman-is-he-who-knows-when-to-depart-from-traditions-as/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“It is true that a great statesman is he who knows when to depart from traditions, as well as when to adhere to them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/it-is-true-that-a-great-statesman-is-he-who-knows-when-to-depart-from/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Steal five dollars and you're a common thief. 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Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that showeth best by day; but it will not rise to the price of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/truth-may-perhaps-come-to-the-price-of-a-pearl-that-showeth-best-by/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## More by Edward Bulwer-Lytton > [“No path between the stranger’s home and ours should be left unclosed, or the sorrow and evil of his home may descend to ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/no-path-between-the-stranger-s-home-and-ours-should-be-left-unclosed/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“The stranger drew the curtains round the bed, took up the light, and inspected the apartment. The walls of both rooms were hung with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/the-stranger-drew-the-curtains-round-the-bed-took-up-the-light-and/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“It was a something found that had long been sought for by a thousand restless yearnings and vague desires, less of the heart than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/it-was-a-something-found-that-had-long-been-sought-for-by-a-thousand/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“But there is one privilege the Gy-ei carefully retain, and the desire for which perhaps forms the secret motive of most lady asserters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/but-there-is-one-privilege-the-gy-ei-carefully-retain-and-the-desire/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“The communities were in fierce competition with each other. They had their rich and their poor; they had orators and conquerors; they made war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/the-communities-were-in-fierce-competition-with-each-other-they-had/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“The superstitious belief, common to miners, that gnomes or fiends dwell within the bowels of the earth, began to seize me. I shuddered at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/the-superstitious-belief-common-to-miners-that-gnomes-or-fiends-dwell/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“But why should you wish to leave a state of society which you so politely allow to be more felicitous than your own?” “Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/but-why-should-you-wish-to-leave-a-state-of-society-which-you-so/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“This, then, was the mystery that had so galled him,—this the cause of the quarrel with the Cardinal; this the secret not to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/this-then-was-the-mystery-that-had-so-galled-him-this-the-cause-of/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“(This sect (the Encyclopaedists) propagate with much zeal the doctrine of materialism, which prevails among the great and the wits; we owe to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/this-sect-the-encyclopaedists-propagate-with-much-zeal-the-doctrine/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“Il faut absolument que la Superstition et le Fanatisme fassent place a la Philosophie. (It must necessarily happen that superstition and fanaticism give place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/il-faut-absolument-que-la-superstition-et-le-fanatisme-fassent-place/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“Its chief covering seemed to me to be composed of large wings folded over its breast and reaching to its knees; the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/its-chief-covering-seemed-to-me-to-be-composed-of-large-wings-folded/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“Observe yon tree in your neighbour's garden. Look how it grows up, crooked and distorted. Some wind scattered the germ from which it sprang,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/observe-yon-tree-in-your-neighbour-s-garden-look-how-it-grows-up/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“A Gy wears wings habitually when yet a virgin—she joins the Ana in their aerial sports—she adventures alone and afar into the wilder regions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/a-gy-wears-wings-habitually-when-yet-a-virgin-she-joins-the-ana-in/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“Monuments of murder, how poor the thoughts, how mean the memories ye awaken, compared with those that speak to the heart of man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/monuments-of-murder-how-poor-the-thoughts-how-mean-the-memories-ye/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“But among this people there can be no doubt about the rights of women, because, as I have before said, the Gy, physically speaking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/but-among-this-people-there-can-be-no-doubt-about-the-rights-of-women/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) [Explore all 34 Edward Bulwer-Lytton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) ## More Statesman quotes > [He is almost a statesman. 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Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [A statesman who shakes the fruit trees of his neighbors - to dislodge the worms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-statesman-who-shakes-the-fruit-trees-of-his-neighbors-to-dislodge/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [In our country and in our times no man is worthy the honored name of statesman who does not include the highest practicable education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/in-our-country-and-in-our-times-no-man-is-worthy-the-honored-name-of/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [The statesman cannot govern without stability of belief, true or false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-statesman-cannot-govern-without-stability-of-belief-true-or-false/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A statesman who confines himself to popular legislation - or, for the matter of that, a playwright who confines himself to popular plays -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-statesman-who-confines-himself-to-popular-legislation-or-for-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The quest for peace is the statesman's most exacting duty... Practical progress to lasting peace is his fondest hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-quest-for-peace-is-the-statesman-s-most-exacting-duty-practical/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The statesman who yields to war fever...is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-statesman-who-yields-to-war-fever-is-no-longer-the-master-of/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The less a statesman amounts to, the more he loves the flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/the-less-a-statesman-amounts-to-the-more-he-loves-the-flag/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [A statesman cannot afford to be a moralist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/a-statesman-cannot-afford-to-be-a-moralist/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [No branch of the law is of more importance to the counsellor, the statesman, or the citizen, than a thorough acquaintance with the Constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-branch-of-the-law-is-of-more-importance-to-the-counsellor-the/) [Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/) > [A wise man who stands firm is a statesman, a foolish man who stands firm is a catastrophe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-wise-man-who-stands-firm-is-a-statesman-a-foolish-man-who-stands/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yet the interests of the international statesman may not always align with the ‘national interest’, particularly if the statesman is now also a member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-king/yet-the-interests-of-the-international-statesman-may-not-always-align/) [Stephen D. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-d-king/) > [A politician is a person with whose politics you don't agree; if you agree with him he's a statesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/a-politician-is-a-person-with-whose-politics-you-don-t-agree-if-you/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) Browse all 132 Statesman quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great statesman or a common thief?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-to-be-a-great-statesman-or-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Statesman" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-to-be-a-great-statesman-or-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/edward-bulwer-lytton-18835_statesman_can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-t_2480865.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Can any man doubt whether it is better to be a great statesman or a common thief?” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton", "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": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Can any man doubt whether it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-to-be-a-great-statesman-or-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/can-any-man-doubt-whether-it-is-better-to-be-a-great-statesman-or-a/#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 } } ] } ```