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Quote#Hope

Resistance is folly or heroism—a virtue or a vice—in most cases,…

Quote byRobert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury · 1830–1903

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: 'Parliamentary Reform', Quarterly Review, vol. 117 (January & April 1865), p. 550.

English (original)

Resistance is folly or heroism—a virtue or a vice—in most cases, according to the probabilities there are of its being successful. The perils of change are so great the promise of the most hopeful theories is so often deceptive, that it is frequently the wiser part to uphold the existing state of things, if it can be done, even though, in point of argument, it should be utterly indefensible.

— Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

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