“ Law is stable; the societies we are speaking of are progressive. The greater or less happiness of a people depends on the degree of promptitude with which the gulf is narrowed. 法律是稳定的;我们所说的社会是进步的。一个民族的幸福或多或少取决于缩小鸿沟的快速性。 Henry James Sumner Maine 亨利·詹姆斯·萨姆纳·缅因州