Political Quotes

Edmund Burke: In other words, they are powerful to usurp, impotent to restore; and equally by their power and their impotence they…

On the record
In other words, they are powerful to usurp, impotent to restore; and equally by their power and their impotence they aggrandize themselves, and weaken and impoverish you and all other nations.
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Edmund Burke

Editor's note · Context

Burke describes the paradox of the Regicide Republic's power to usurp but impotence to restore order.

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