They sometimes grow out of the necessities, always out of the habits, of slavish and degenerate spirits; and on the theatre of the world, it is not by assuming the mask of a Davus or a Geta that an actor will obtain credit for manly simplicity and a liberal openness of proceeding.
Edmund Burke: “They sometimes grow out of the necessities, always out of the habits, of slavish and degenerate spirits; and on the…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke argues that adopting a false persona does not earn respect or credibility, advocating for authenticity.
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I would not exclude alteration neither; but even when I changed, it should be to preserve.
Let us add, if we please, but let us preserve what they have left; and standing on the firm ground of the British Constitution, let us be satisfied to admire, rather than attempt to follow in their desperate flights, the aëronauts of…
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
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