Can authority be more amiable and respectable when it descends from…

Can authority be more amiable and respectable when it descends from accidents or institutions established in remote antiquity than when it springs fresh from the hearts and judgments of an honest and enlightened people?

John Adams

Inaugural Address of John Adams · 1797

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Tradition vs. modernity Tradition Progress Political theory

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Adams, John. "Inaugural Address." 4 Mar. 1797, House Chamber, Congress Hall, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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Can authority be more amiable and respectable when it descends from accidents or… — John Adams

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