Not Burke but Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858).

Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.

— Edmund Burke

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all." in the context of "Not Burke but Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Edmund Burke" (Misattributed: Misattributed: Quotes widely associated with an author or work but sourced to another author or work. Read more at Wikiquote:Sourced and Unsourced sections.) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edmund Burke

About Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke (12 January 1729 – 9 July 1797) was a British and Irish statesman and philosopher. Born in Dublin, Burke served as a member of parliament (MP) between 1766 and 1794 in the House of Commons of Great Britain with the Whig Party after moving to London in 1750.