On the recordJanuary 1, 1790
They must take it for granted that we attend much to their reason, but not at all to their authority.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “They must take it for granted that we attend much to their reason, but not at all to their authority.”
Editor's note · Context
In his critique of the French National Assembly, this line describes how those who propose new societal principles should expect their arguments to be judged by reason alone, without deference to their self-proclaimed authority.
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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.
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