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We must bear in mind that we are not to confine our view to the present period, but to… — Alexander Hamilton

Essay · Political literature

We must bear in mind that we are not to confine our view to the present period, but to look forward to remote futurity. Constitutions of civil government are not to be framed upon a calculation of existing exigencies, but upon a combination of these with the probable exigencies of ages, according to the natural and tried course of human affairs.

Alexander Hamilton
Federalist 34 · 1788
★ 2.0
Provenance
Current citation
Hamilton, Alexander. "No. 34: Financial needs of the new government.--Hamilton." The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States, edited by Robert Scigliano. The Modern Library, 2001.
Original citation
Hamilton, Alexander [published as Publius]. "Federalist No. 34: The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation." New York Packet, 4 Jan. 1788.

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