On the record
Custom is the first check on tyranny; that fixed routine of social life at which modern innovations chafe, and by which modern improvement is impeded, is the primitive check on base power.
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Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “Custom is the first check on tyranny; that fixed routine of social life at which modern innovations chafe, and by which…”
Editor's note · Context
This quote emphasizes the importance of customs as a safeguard against tyranny in society.
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