Rights! There are no rights whatever without corresponding duties. Look at the history of the growth of our constitution, and you will see that our ancestors never upon any occasion stated, as a ground for claiming any of their privileges, an abstract right inherent in themselves; you will nowhere in our parliamentary records find the miserable sophism of the Rights of Man.

Summary

This quote highlights the importance of understanding that rights cannot exist without corresponding duties. It argues that throughout history, privileges and rights have never been grounded in abstract, inherent entitlements, but rather in the recognition of obligations and responsibilities. The quote challenges the notion of "Rights of Man" as a flawed argument, suggesting that rights must be earned and upheld through a mutual understanding of duties in order to have any real significance in society.

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