On the record
The whole history of civilisation, is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
Source
gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “The whole history of civilisation, is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot observes that many institutions that were once beneficial can become harmful over time.
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More from Walter Bagehot
I cannot, therefore, join in the full cry against anomalies; in my judgment it may quickly overrun the scent, and so miss what we should be glad to find.
These anomalies, in a hundred instances, mark the old boundaries of a constitutional struggle.
Subject to this saving remark, however, I not only admit, but maintain, that our Constitution is full of curious oddities, which are impeding and mischievous, and ought to be struck out.
The lessons are good where its primitive assumptions hold, but may be false where those assumptions fail.
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