Walter Bagehot

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

Walter Bagehot "Physics and Politics"

Human

Pain and Tears

"History is strewn with the wrecks of nations which have gained a little progressiveness at the cost of a great deal of hard manliness, and have thus prepared themselves for destruction as soon as the the movements of the world gave a chance for it."

Walter Bagehot "Physics and Politics"

History and Nations

"The best history is but like the art of Rembrandt; it casts a vivid light on certain selected causes, on those which were best and greatest; it leaves all the rest in shadow and unseen."

Walter Bagehot "Physics and Politics"

Art and Culture

History and Nations

"It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations."

Walter Bagehot "The English Constitution"

Power and Weakness

Reality and Imagination

"Poverty is an anomaly to rich people. It is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell."

Walter Bagehot

Richness and Money

"An ambassador is not simply an agent; he is also a spectacle."

Walter Bagehot "The English Constitution"

Politics and Diplomacy

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot."

Walter Bagehot

Joy and Sadness

Success and Fame