ABSTRACT
The more odious the old government, the more agreement there was to overthrow it, and difficult it is to distinguish among the various opinions separating those who, united for destruction, are divided in rebuilding. In human as in physical nature, there are all-powerful forces: the tendency to cherish repose and the impulse to seek liberty. Each prevails in turn, but the abiding general will results from both in combination. It is when this problem of combination is solved that we can look for and be sure to find the abiding general will. A constitution is a more complicated process, the outcome of so many ideas and intentions that judgments of it must differ. One must seek support with righteousness of mind and heart, which for a long time to come will not be unanimous. The partisans of the Old Regime, who assert that their status as gentlemen exempts them from thinking, must no longer be regarded as French citizens.
