They, it seems, were right; and if they were right a little earlier than we are, it only shows that they exceeded us in sagacity.
Edmund Burke: “They, it seems, were right; and if they were right a little earlier than we are, it only shows that they exceeded us in…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke concedes that the Jacobins may have been more perceptive than their critics.
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More from Edmund Burke
Our people will find employment enough for a truly patriotic, free, and independent spirit, in guarding what they possess from violation.
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
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.
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.





