Who said “Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which…”?

Verified

Edmund Burke. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceSpeech to the Electors of Bristol (3 November 1774); as published in The Works of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke (1834)

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“Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament.”
VerifiedSpeech to the Electors of Bristol (3 November 1774); as published in The Works of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke (1834) · evidenceParliament
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Speech to the Electors of Bristol (3 November 1774); as published in The Works of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke (1834).

APA

Burke, E. (n.d.). Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30089-parliament-is-not-a-congress-of-ambassadors-from/

MLA

Burke, Edmund. “Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30089-parliament-is-not-a-congress-of-ambassadors-from/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Burke, Edmund. “Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30089-parliament-is-not-a-congress-of-ambassadors-from/.