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Great and terrible systems of divinity and philosophy lie round about us, which, if true, might drive a wise man mad.

Walter Bagehot

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Walter Bagehot
Age: 51 †
Born: 1826
Born: February 3
Died: 1877
Died: March 24
Businessperson
Economist
Engineer
Journalist
Political Scientist
Politician
Sociologist
Langport
Somerset
Great
Drive
Men
Atheism
Terrible
Philosophy
Divinity
Wise
Systems
Lying
Mad
True
Round
Might
Rounds

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A cabinet is a combining committee, a hyphen which joins, a buckle which fastens, the legislative part of the state to the executive part of the state. In its origin it belongs to the one, in its functions it belongs to the other.
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Efficiency in an assembly requires a solid mass of steady votes and these are collected by a deferential attachment to particular men, or by a belief in the principles that those men represent, and they are maintained by fear of those men - by the fear that if you vote against them, you may soon yourself have no vote at all.
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A princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.
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Most men of business think Anyhow this system will probably last my time. It has gone on a long time, and is likely to go on still.
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Persecution in intellectual countries produces a superficial conformity, but also underneath an intense, incessant, implacable doubt.
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Men who do not make advances to women are apt to become victims to women who make advances to them.
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A schoolmaster should have an atmosphere of awe, and walk wonderingly, as if he was amazed at being himself.
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A man's mother is his misfortune, but his wife is his fault.
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But of all nations in the world the English are perhaps the least a nation of pure philosophers.
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An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.
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Poverty is an anomaly to rich people it is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell.
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The best reason why Monarchy is a strong government is, that it is an intelligible government. The mass of mankind understand it, and they hardly anywhere in the world understand any other.
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The great pleasure of life is doing for pleasure things I do not like to do.
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In the faculty of writing nonsense, stupidity is no match for genius.
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In early times every sort of advantage tends to become a military advantage such is the best way, then, to keep it alive. But the Jewish advantage never did so beginning in religion, contrary to a thousand analogies, it remained religious.
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Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
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It has been said that England invented the phrase, 'Her Majesty's Opposition'.
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A severe though not unfriendly critic of our institutions said that the cure for admiring the House of Lords was to go and look at it.
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Civilized ages inherit the human nature which was victorious in barbarous ages, and that nature is, in many respects, not at all suited to civilized circumstances.
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A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
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