Walter Bagehot Quotes & Sayings (Page 4)

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

“Public opinion is a permeating influence, and it exacts obedience to itself; it requires us to drink other men's thoughts, to speak other men's words, to follow other men's habits.”

“An ambassador is not simply an agent; he is also a spectacle.”

“Conquest is the missionary of valor, and the hard impact of military virtues beats meanness out of the world.”

“Dullness in matters of government is a good sign, and not a bad one - in particular, dullness in parliamentary government is a test of its excellence, an indication of its success.”

“A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

“An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.”

“A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life.”

“It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations.”

“It is good to be without vices, but it is not good to be without temptations.”