On the record
So if authority is given to a person, not on account of his working fitness, but on account of his imaginative efficiency, he will commonly impair good administration.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
Source
gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “So if authority is given to a person, not on account of his working fitness, but on account of his imaginative…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot critiques the selection of leaders based on imagination rather than practical skills, highlighting a flaw in governance.
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More from Walter Bagehot
At last it strikes you that they grew up, house by house, on the devious tracks of the old green lanes; and if you follow on to the existing fields, you may often find the change half complete.
But it is natural also that persons used to analyse political institutions should look at these anomalies with a little tenderness and a little interest.
The casual line was traced according to the strength of deceased combatants; succeeding generations fought elsewhere; and the hesitating line of a half-drawn battle was left to stand for a perpetual limit.
Our law very often reminds one of those outskirts of cities where you cannot for a long time tell how the streets come to wind about in so capricious and serpent-like a manner.
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