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Quote#Self

There are no constitutional revolutions, no violent reversals of…

Quote byWilliam Stubbs · 1825–1901

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: The Constitutional History of England in its Origin and Development, Vol. I (1874), p. 166.

English (original)

There are no constitutional revolutions, no violent reversals of legislation; custom is far more potent than law, and custom is modified infinitesimally every day. An alteration of law is often the mere registration of a custom, when men have recognised its altered character. The names of offices and assemblies are permanent, whilst their character has imperceptibly undergone essential change.

— William Stubbs

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