Russell Kirk Quotes

We face ... a moral crisis as a country and as a people,” said the president. A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution ... peaceful and constructive for all.

There is this constant effort to progress in America, to make things better for everyone.

Violence never has and never will bring constructive change, but my life experience tells me that most change is violent.

You have much more power when you are working for the right thing than when you are working against the wrong thing. And, of course, if the right thing is established wrong things will fade away of their own accord.

Elevation of today's generation, if I can make them listen. Prisons ain't what we need, no longer stuck in greed.

The idea of changing or improving the world is alien to me and seems ludicrous. Society functions, and always has, without the artist. No artist has ever changed anything for better or worse.

If you see that some aspect of your society is bad, and you want to improve it, there is only one way to do so: you have to improve people. And in order to improve people, you begin with only ONE thing: you can become better yourself.

A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all.

You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.

That is true culture which helps us to work for the social betterment of all.

Any realistic vision of change must be based on the notion of empowerment of people.

No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.

Build what you want to see in the world.

We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.

One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better

Lasting change happens when people see for themselves that a different way of life is more fulfilling than their present one.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.

Despite current ads and slogans, the world doesn't change one person at a time. It changes when networks of relationships form among people who share a common cause and vision of what's possible. This is good news for those of us intent on creating a positive future. Rather than worry about critical mass, our work is to foster critical connections. We don't need to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, we need to connect with kindred spirits. Through these relationships, we will develop the new knowledge, practices, courage and commitment that lead to broad-based change.

I have a magnificent obsession. All I want to do is change the world ...make it a better place for this and future generations.

I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next.

The correct rate of speed in innovating changes in long-standing social customs has not yet been determined by even the most expert of the experts. Personally I am beginning to think there is more danger in lagging than in speeding up cultural change to keep pace with mechanical change.

There have been waves of reform in the past. I see no reason why they wouldn't happen again.

One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.

All progress and growth is a matter of change, but change must be growth within our social and government concepts if it should not destroy them.

If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!