On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
Rage and frenzy will pull down more in half an hour than prudence, deliberation, and foresight can build up in a hundred years.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “Rage and frenzy will pull down more in half an hour than prudence, deliberation, and foresight can build up in a hundred…”
Editor's note · Context
In his critique of the French Revolution, Burke warns against the destructive speed of revolutionary fervor compared to the slow, careful work of building institutions.
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Jan 1, 1790
If any of them should happen to propose a scheme of liberty soberly limited, and defined with proper qualifications, he will be immediately outbid by his competitors, who will produce something more splendidly popular.
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I would not exclude alteration neither; but even when I changed, it should be to preserve.
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They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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Our people will find employment enough for a truly patriotic, free, and independent spirit, in guarding what they possess from violation.
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