The design is wicked, immoral, impious, oppressive: but it is spirited and daring; it is systematic; it is simple in its principle; it has unity and consistency in perfection.
Edmund Burke: “The design is wicked, immoral, impious, oppressive: but it is spirited and daring; it is systematic; it is simple in its…”
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Edmund Burke
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Burke critiques a particular design of government as wicked yet acknowledges its systematic and daring nature.
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