The greatness of kings is made at the margin; the greatness of legislatures,

The greatness of kings is made at the margin; the greatness of legislatures, at
the mean. That is to say, a monarch is judged by individual virtues and
performance, but no legislature can be called great because it contained one or
a few impressive individuals, to whom it paid no heed. The standard of
judgement for monarchs and legislatures is always the same: the happiness and
well-being of the people.
-- Michael Scully