Political Quotes

Walter Bagehot: They never could have known what to expect; the whole habit of steady but varied anticipation, which makes our minds…

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They never could have known what to expect; the whole habit of steady but varied anticipation, which makes our minds what they are, must have been wholly foreign to theirs.
Said by
Walter Bagehot

Editor's note · Context

This passage illustrates Bagehot's belief that early humans lacked the ability to anticipate events in a structured way, contrasting with modern expectations.

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