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"Self-government is the natural
government of man...There are degrees of proficiency in the art of
self-government, but it is a reflection upon the Creator to say that He
denied to any people the capacity for self-government."
"A moment comes, which comes
but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new -- when an
age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.
It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to
the service of India, and her people, and to the still larger cause of
humanity."
"Freedom and power bring
responsibility. That responsibility rests upon this assembly, a sovereign
body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom
we have endured all the pains of labor, and our hearts are heavy with the
memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless,
the past is over, and it is the future that beckons to us now." |
