On the record
From this temper, men and factions, and nations too, have sacrificed the good of which they had been in assured possession, in favor of wild and irrational expectations.
Said by
Edmund Burke
Source
gutenberg.orgFrom this temper, men and factions, and nations too, have sacrificed the good of which they had been in assured possession, in favor of wild and irrational expectations.
Burke observes that people often sacrifice their current well-being for unrealistic expectations of the future.
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More from Edmund Burke
But to form a free government, that is, to temper together these opposite elements of liberty and restraint in one consistent work, requires much thought, deep reflection, a sagacious, powerful, and combining mind.
Rome, under her emperors, united the evils of both systems; and this unnatural combination was one great cause of her ruin.
They will become flatterers instead of legislators,--the instruments, not the guides of the people.