On the record
Discuss any of their schemes--their answer is--It is the act of the PEOPLE, and that is sufficient.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgEdmund Burke: “Discuss any of their schemes--their answer is--It is the act of the PEOPLE, and that is sufficient.”
Editor's note · Context
Burke critiques the justification of actions based solely on the will of the people, regardless of their implications.
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More from Edmund Burke
Jan 1, 1790
But when the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service.
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
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.
Jan 1, 1790
Our people will find employment enough for a truly patriotic, free, and independent spirit, in guarding what they possess from violation.
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