It is remarkable that jealousy of individual property in land often goes along with very exaggerated doctrines of tribal or national property in land.

Summary

This quote by Thomas Babington Macaulay highlights the paradoxical nature of human tendencies in regards to ownership. Macaulay observes that while individuals can become possessively jealous of their private property in land, they often support a more communal and rigid approach concerning land ownership at the tribal or national level. This observation suggests that individuals may simultaneously exhibit both possessiveness and a sense of solidarity with their larger community, reflecting the complexity of human attitudes towards property and ownership.

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