Now the English nation is able to make war, but it will only do so where its own interests are concerned. We are a simple and practical nation, a commercial nation; we do not go in for chivalrous enterprises or fight for others as the French do. Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Proneness to changes and fondness for experiment have never been the character of the English nation. Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston