A William F. Buckley Jr. Sampler
I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.
I’d rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.
Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.
A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling “Stop!”
It had all the earmarks of a CIA operation; the bomb killed everybody in the room except the intended target!
Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.
Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could.
I think [George]Bush faces a singular problem best defined, I think, as the absence of effective conservative ideology — with the result that he ended up being very extravagant in domestic spending, extremely tolerant of excesses by Congress. And in respect of foreign policy, incapable of bringing together such forces as apparently were necessary to conclude the Iraq challenge.
Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out.
All adventure is now reactionary.
I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it and one is the feeling that I haven’t just been sitting on my ass all afternoon.
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9 Responses to “A William F. Buckley Jr. Sampler”
Where'd you dig these up, Shaun?
A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling “Stop!”
I always thought of this sentiment as a bit of a slander against conservativism.
Cosmo:
Buckley quotes are all over the intertubes.
'Conservatives stand athwart history and yell STOP!'
Not a direct quote, but a paraphrase of what he oft claimed.
The “Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive” one is my fav, and it's apropos to the discussion that cosmo and I were having in another thread. (I should've known that Bill would have had a quote that made my point better than I could have phrased it.)
Shame… They really don't make 'em like this anymore. Buckley was one of those rare creatures whom I could vehemently disagree but still thoroughly enjoy his prose. Nowadays, it's mostly the opposite with today's screamers — difficulty listening evening when I agree with them.
It's a good quote, CS, but Reality and I are still Waiting For Christine.
Nice way to tribute. Thanks Shaun.
dr.e
[...] Two for WFB, his desk (I have sympathy as I struggle with the messy desk “thing”) and some quotes. [...]