Mauricio Mallet

“For a great state, qua state, is not one which embraces a great population or an extensive territory, but one which achieves a great intensity of social unity. And in this matter we must bear in mind that unity means unity of purpose and will, and not merely unity of action and result. One of the most significant reasons for refusing to attribute an unlimited degree of statehood to those associations which are legally known as states, is that their size is governed by considerations of commerce, mere whim, or by other limited ends, rather than by reference to the good life or the excellence of souls.”
― Michael Oakeshott, Early Political Writings 1925-30: A discussion of some matters preliminary to the study of political philosophy' and 'The philosophical approach to ... Oakeshott Selected Writings Book 5)