Governments must be abused and deranged indeed, before it can be thought of; and the prospect of the future must be as bad as the experience of the past.
Edmund Burke: “Governments must be abused and deranged indeed, before it can be thought of; and the prospect of the future must be as…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke asserts that the idea of resisting government should only arise after severe and prolonged misrule, when both past experience and future outlook are dire.
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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.
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The improvements of the National Assembly are superficial, their errors fundamental.





