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An assembly in which the mass of the members have nothing to lose, where most have nothing to gain, where every one has a social position firmly fixed, where no one has a constituency, where hardly any one cares for the minister of the day, is the very assembly in which to look for, from which to expect, independent criticism.

— Walter Bagehot The English Constitution (1894)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Bagehot means criticism of the government.

More quotes by Walter Bagehot

One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.

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In truth, 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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A good horse likes to feel the rider’s bit; and a great deliberative assembly likes to feel that it is under worthy guidance.

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The great difficulty which history records is not that of the first step, but that of the second step.

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A great assembly is as soon spoiled by over-indulgence as a little child.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Walter Bagehot (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.