Therefore, when men come before us, and rise up like an exhalation from the ground, they come in a questionable shape, and we must exorcise them, and try whether their intents be wicked or charitable, whether they bring airs from heaven or blasts from hell.
Edmund Burke: “Therefore, when men come before us, and rise up like an exhalation from the ground, they come in a questionable shape…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke discusses the need to scrutinize the intentions of individuals who present themselves in uncertain circumstances.
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