On the record
Its very defects may tend to its stability, because they are agreeable to its nature.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “Its very defects may tend to its stability, because they are agreeable to its nature.”
Editor's note · Context
Burke suggests that the inherent flaws in a political system may paradoxically contribute to its longevity.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
Our people will find employment enough for a truly patriotic, free, and independent spirit, in guarding what they possess from violation.
Jan 1, 1790
Whatever they are, I wish my countrymen rather to recommend to our neighbors the example of the British Constitution than to take models from them for the improvement of our own.
Jan 1, 1790
They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
Jan 1, 1790
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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