18 FEBRUARY 2006, Page 26

The limits of liberty

From Dennis Morris

Sir: Apropos Daniel Wolf’s article (‘Censorship wasn’t all bad’, 4 February) and the question of freedom becoming licence, there are two other quotations of Edmund Burke’s which are not only relevant to Mr Wolf’s arresting piece but also easy to remember. And though both date from 1777, bearing them in mind would probably stop many a political commentator appearing shallow. The first is, ‘Liberty too must be limited in order to be possessed’; and the second, ‘There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue.’ Dennis Morris

Caiscais, Portugal