The moment a sovereign removes the idea of security and protection from his subjects, and declares that he is everything and they nothing, when he declares that no contract he makes with them can or ought to bind him, he then declares war upon them: he is no longer sovereign; they are no longer subjects.
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Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Burke emphasizes the importance of a sovereign's duty to protect their subjects, equating failure to do so with declaring war.
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