There is something in obstinacy which differs from every other passion; whenever it fails it never recovers, but either breaks like iron, or crumbles sulkily away like a fractured arch.
In a series of pamphlets supporting the American Revolution, this passage offers a philosophical reflection on the destructive and unyielding nature of obstinacy.
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The more it is struck the more sparks it will emit; and the fear is it will not be struck enough.
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