| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
| |
| |
| NUMBER: | 37660 |
| QUOTATION: | The proclamation and repetition of first principles is a constant feature of life in our democracy. Active adherence to these principles, however, has always been considered un-American. We recipients of the boon of liberty have always been ready, when faced with discomfort, to discard any and all first principles of liberty, and, further, to indict those who do not freely join with us in happily arrogating those principles. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | David Mamet (b. 1947), U.S. playwright. “First Principles,” Writing in Restaurants (1986). |
| BIOGRAPHY: | Columbia Encyclopedia. |
| |
| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
|
|
