But if I know that the sword desired is to be employed to cut my own throat, common sense, and my own self-defence, dictate to me to keep out of his hands this natural right of the sword.
Edmund Burke: “But if I know that the sword desired is to be employed to cut my own throat, common sense, and my own self-defence…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke discusses the moral implications of granting a weapon to someone who may use it harmfully, emphasizing self-preservation.
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They come from one who has been no tool of power, no flatterer of greatness, and who in his last acts does not wish to belie the tenor of his life.
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.
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