In a progressive country change is constant; and the great question is not whether you should resist change which is inevitable, but whether that change should be carried out in deference to the manners, the customs, the laws and the traditions of a people, or whether it should be carried out in deference to abstract principles, and arbitrary and general doctrines.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Change should respect local customs and laws rather than abstract ideas.
- In plain terms
- Change should respect old customs, not just new ideas.
- What can you take from it?
- Adapt change to fit local traditions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When should tradition guide change?
- What abstract ideals ignore context?
Another view
Traditions can sometimes hold back necessary progress.
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