When in popular assembly a law is proposed, what the people is asked is not exactly whether it approves or rejects the proposal, but whether it is in conformity of the general will, which is their will. Each man in giving his vote, states his opinion on that point , and the general will is found by counting votes. When therefore the opinion that is contrary to my own prevails, this proves neither more not less than that I was mistaken and that what I thought to be the general will was not so. If my private opinion had prevailed, I would have done something other that what I had wanted.…
