On the record
But it is from confounding the unaccountable character inherent in the supreme power with arbitrary power, that all this confusion of ideas has arisen.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “But it is from confounding the unaccountable character inherent in the supreme power with arbitrary power, that all this…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke identifies a confusion between the inherent unaccountability of supreme power and arbitrary power as a source of misunderstanding.
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Jan 1, 1790
Let us imitate their caution, if we wish to deserve their fortune or to retain their bequests.
Jan 1, 1790
Not being illuminated with the light of which the gentlemen of France tell us they have got so abundant a share, they acted under a strong impression of the ignorance and fallibility of mankind.
Jan 1, 1790
If any of them should happen to propose a scheme of liberty soberly limited, and defined with proper qualifications, he will be immediately outbid by his competitors, who will produce something more splendidly popular.
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.
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