On the record
Abstract principles urged without stint or mercy provoke the counter-assertion of abstract principles in return.
Said by
John Morley
Source
gutenberg.orgJohn Morley: “Abstract principles urged without stint or mercy provoke the counter-assertion of abstract principles in return.”
Editor's note · Context
Morley argues that unyielding abstract principles can lead to equally rigid counterarguments, highlighting the cyclical nature of debate.
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More from John Morley
No: not at all; because there is so much, I will not say of random variety, but there is so much independent use of mind upon the facts that we have to deal with, that I listen with endless edification and instruction.
What I expect is a healthful, slow fermentation in many minds, working towards the final product.
Inspire him with the desire of pleasing; he will soon know more of the art than all the masters could teach him.
But they were barren of any institutions by which the country could be governed and kept in prosperity for the future.”(166) This is a statement of the case that biographer and historian alike should ponder.
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