It is the action of the will that causes the unconscious habit; it is the continual effort of the beginning that creates the hoarded energy of the end; it is the silent toil of the first generation that becomes the transmitted aptitude of the next.
This quote reflects Bagehot's view on the relationship between will, habit, and generational progress.
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More from Walter Bagehot
They are solely concerned with his attractiveness as a candidate; they need not regard his efficiency as a ruler.
The United States could not have become monarchical, even if the Constitutional Convention had decreed it, even if the component States had ratified it.
But, above all things, they were frightened of 'the world;' the spectacle of nature filled them with awe and dread.
The whole history of civilisation, is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.
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