--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By this unprincipled facility of changing…" description: "\"“By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways, as there are floating fancies or fashions, the whole c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/mark-r-levin-13287_quote_by-this-unprincipled-facility-of-changin_1569413.jpg" --- # By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as… ![“By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways, as there are floating fancies or fashions, the whole chain of continuity of the commonwealth would be broken. No one generation could link with the other. Men would become little better than the” quote by Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/mark-r-levin-13287_quote_by-this-unprincipled-facility-of-changin_1569413.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/mark-r-levin-13287_quote_by-this-unprincipled-facility-of-changin_1569413.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/mark-r-levin-13287_quote_by-this-unprincipled-facility-of-changin_1569413.jpg) > ““By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways, as there are floating fancies or fashions, the whole chain of continuity of the commonwealth would be broken. No one generation could link with the other. Men would become little better than the”” [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Frequent, arbitrary changes erode societal continuity and weaken generational bonds. **In simple terms:** Too many changes break social stability. Key Takeaway Preserve stable institutions. Themes change continuity government society Mood critical reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - legislative reform - cultural shifts - policy updates - generational planning Key Concepts institutional memory social contract Questions to Reflect On - What balance between stability and reform is needed? - How to protect continuity while adapting? A Different Perspective Stability can hinder necessary progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commonwealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonwealth/) ## Related quotes > [By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways as there are floating fancies or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/by-this-unprincipled-facility-of-changing-the-state-as-often-and-as/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“But one of the first and most leading principles on which the commonwealth and the laws are consecrated, is lest the temporary possessors and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/but-one-of-the-first-and-most-leading-principles-on-which-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Unprincipled success is superlative failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jchenry/unprincipled-success-is-superlative-failure/) JCHenry > [He who has once made himself notorious as utterly unprincipled, is not credited even when he speaks the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/periander/he-who-has-once-made-himself-notorious-as-utterly-unprincipled-is-not/) [Periander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/periander/) > [If there is any hell more unprincipled than our rulers, and we, the ruled, I feel curious to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-there-is-any-hell-more-unprincipled-than-our-rulers-and-we-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Most priests wish they were as righteous as they seem to most members of their congregations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-priests-wish-they-were-as-righteous-as-they-seem-to-most-members/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Those then, who resist a confirmation of public order, are the true Artificers of monarchy—not that this is the intention of the generality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/those-then-who-resist-a-confirmation-of-public-order-are-the-true/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [I am prepared to resort to anything, to submit to anything, for the sake of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/i-am-prepared-to-resort-to-anything-to-submit-to-anything-for-the/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Though bachelors be the strongest stakes, married men are the best binders, in the hedge of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/though-bachelors-be-the-strongest-stakes-married-men-are-the-best/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [I would like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for the very fair manner in which this matter has been dealt with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-collins/i-would-like-to-thank-the-commonwealth-games-federation-for-the-very/) [Kim Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-collins/) > [Members in the Commonwealth of God are not bound together by the specifics of their religion, for the nature of our interdependency does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-church/members-in-the-commonwealth-of-god-are-not-bound-together-by-the/) [Forrest Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-church/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [ Brian Mulroney, myself, \[and\] Rajiv Gandhi; I think that was the real core \[of the Commonwealth \]. That was the engine room, I reckon. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/brian-mulroney-myself-and-rajiv-gandhi-i-think-that-was-the-real-core/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by Mark R. Levin > [“Locke said, as have others, that natural law is forever and enduring, and man-made law, which may vary from place to place and time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/locke-said-as-have-others-that-natural-law-is-forever-and-enduring/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Again, for Wilson and the progressives, the American founding was simply a historical event distinct to its own moment and condition. Progress requires that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/again-for-wilson-and-the-progressives-the-american-founding-was/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“In utopia, rule by masterminds is both necessary and necessarily primitive, for it excludes so much that is known to man and about man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/in-utopia-rule-by-masterminds-is-both-necessary-and-necessarily/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“THE END OF THE nineteenth century saw the rise of a movement thoroughly hostile to the underlying principles of the nation’s founding—the “Progressive Movement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/the-end-of-the-nineteenth-century-saw-the-rise-of-a-movement/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Dewey was a stern critic of capitalism and private property rights, which he condemned as a relic of early American principles reinforced in current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/dewey-was-a-stern-critic-of-capitalism-and-private-property-rights/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Especially threatening, therefore, are the industrious, independent, and successful, for they demonstrate what is actually possible under current societal conditions—achievement, happiness, and fulfillment—thereby contradicting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/especially-threatening-therefore-are-the-industrious-independent-and/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“For Croly, the entire process of popular sovereignty exercised through representative republicanism, which led to the drafting, adoption, and ratification of the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/for-croly-the-entire-process-of-popular-sovereignty-exercised-through/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Equality, as understood by the American Founders, is the natural right of every individual to live freely under self-government, to acquire and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/equality-as-understood-by-the-american-founders-is-the-natural-right/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Herbert Croly (1869–1930) was among the leading academic and progressive thinkers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/herbert-croly-1869-1930-was-among-the-leading-academic-and/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“In a recurring theme among progressives, Croly condemned the Constitution’s separation of powers, a doctrine essential to averting centralized tyranny, as the main obstacle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/in-a-recurring-theme-among-progressives-croly-condemned-the/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“The danger of rejecting America’s founding principles is illustrated best in this instance by Wilson himself. As is well documented, Wilson was an open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/the-danger-of-rejecting-america-s-founding-principles-is-illustrated/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“if our rights are not unalienable, if they don’t come from a source higher than ourselves, then they’re malleable at the will of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/if-our-rights-are-not-unalienable-if-they-don-t-come-from-a-source/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Cicero argues that the source of justice, truth, virtue, etc.—in a word, morality—is natural law. It is permanent and supreme, unalterable by man or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/cicero-argues-that-the-source-of-justice-truth-virtue-etc-in-a-word/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“Moreover, the bureaucracy will be of the noblest and most virtuous sort, with no personal, political, or ideological agenda, motivated solely and completely by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/moreover-the-bureaucracy-will-be-of-the-noblest-and-most-virtuous/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) > [“In the civil society, the individual is recognized and accepted as more than an abstract statistic or faceless member of some group; rather, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/in-the-civil-society-the-individual-is-recognized-and-accepted-as/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) [Explore all 51 Mark R. Levin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) ## More Commonwealth quotes > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [ Brian Mulroney, myself, \[and\] Rajiv Gandhi; I think that was the real core \[of the Commonwealth \]. That was the engine room, I reckon. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/brian-mulroney-myself-and-rajiv-gandhi-i-think-that-was-the-real-core/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Members in the Commonwealth of God are not bound together by the specifics of their religion, for the nature of our interdependency does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-church/members-in-the-commonwealth-of-god-are-not-bound-together-by-the/) [Forrest Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-church/) > [I would like to thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for the very fair manner in which this matter has been dealt with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-collins/i-would-like-to-thank-the-commonwealth-games-federation-for-the-very/) [Kim Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-collins/) > [Though bachelors be the strongest stakes, married men are the best binders, in the hedge of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/though-bachelors-be-the-strongest-stakes-married-men-are-the-best/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I am prepared to resort to anything, to submit to anything, for the sake of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/i-am-prepared-to-resort-to-anything-to-submit-to-anything-for-the/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. If that standard is not to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-civil-magistrate-cannot-function-without-some-ethical-guidance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a divine commonwealth holiness must have the principal honor and encouragement, and a great difference be made between the precious and the vile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/in-a-divine-commonwealth-holiness-must-have-the-principal-honor-and/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [And who can doubt that it will lead to the worst disorders when minds created free by God are compelled to submit slavishly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/and-who-can-doubt-that-it-will-lead-to-the-worst-disorders-when-minds/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [In Boston, we don't lead by ourselves. We lead as the capital city and economic engine of a great Commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-walsh/in-boston-we-don-t-lead-by-ourselves-we-lead-as-the-capital-city-and/) [Marty Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-walsh/) > [If the situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate, Britain will argue for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-straw/if-the-situation-in-zimbabwe-continues-to-deteriorate-britain-will/) [Jack Straw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-straw/) > [Because silver and gold have their value from the matter itself, they have first this privilege, that the value of them cannot be altered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/because-silver-and-gold-have-their-value-from-the-matter-itself-they/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [What reason is there that he which laboreth much, and, sparing the fruits of his labor, consumeth little, should be more charged than he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/what-reason-is-there-that-he-which-laboreth-much-and-sparing-the/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) [Browse all 251 Commonwealth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonwealth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By this unprincipled facility of changing the state as often, and as much, and in as many ways, as there are floating fancies or fashions, the whole chain of continuity of the commonwealth would be broken. 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