I am thoroughly satisfied, that, if we degrade ourselves, it is the degradation which will subject us to the yoke of necessity, and not that it is necessity which has brought on our degradation.
Burke expresses the belief that degradation comes from self-inflicted actions rather than external necessity.
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Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy.
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By adhering in this manner and on those principles to our forefathers, we are guided, not by the superstition of antiquarians, but by the spirit of philosophic analogy.
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