Shall we not use the same liberty that they do, when we can use it with the same safety, when to speak honest truth only requires a contempt of the opinions of those whose actions we abhor?
Edmund Burke: “Shall we not use the same liberty that they do, when we can use it with the same safety, when to speak honest truth only…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke encourages speaking truth to power, suggesting that moral courage requires only a disregard for the opinions of those whose actions are detestable.
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