"In excited states of the public mind they have scarcely a discretion at all; the tendency of the public perturbation determines what shall and what shall not be dealt with. But, upon the other hand, in quiet times statesmen have great power; when there is no fire lighted, they can settle what fire shall be lit. And as the new suffrage is happily to be tried in a quiet time, the responsibility of our statesmen is great because their power is great too."
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Original Language: English
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Sources
Walter Bagehot, The English Constitution (1867), Introduction, p. xxi.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Discretion
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Discretion
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