On the record
Such a multitude can have no sort of title to alter the seat of power in the society, in which it ever ought to be the obedient, and not the ruling or presiding part.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “Such a multitude can have no sort of title to alter the seat of power in the society, in which it ever ought to be the…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke argues against the idea that a large group can justly change the power structure of society.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
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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Not being illuminated with the light of which the gentlemen of France tell us they have got so abundant a share, they acted under a strong impression of the ignorance and fallibility of mankind.
Jan 1, 1790
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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