Political Quotes

Walter Bagehot: But you could not show that the natural obstacles opposing human life much differed between Sparta and Athens, or indeed…

On the record
But you could not show that the natural obstacles opposing human life much differed between Sparta and Athens, or indeed between Rome and Athens; and yet Spartans, Athenians, and Romans differ essentially.
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Walter Bagehot

Editor's note · Context

Bagehot highlights the differences among ancient civilizations despite similar environmental challenges.

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More from Walter Bagehot

He had seen that LEISURE is the great need of early societies, and slaves only can give men leisure.

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That a House of Commons may work well it must perform, as we saw, five functions well: it must elect a Ministry well, legislate well, teach the nation well, express the nation's will well, bring matters to the nation's attention well.

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Nothing promotes intellect like intellectual discussion, and nothing promotes intellectual discussion so much as government by discussion.

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