Hugh Cecil Quotes

But you say you are conservative - eminently conservative - while we are revolutionary, destructive, or something of the sort. What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?

I'm not a moderniser. I accept that things like escalators do need an upgrade every now and then, but I think the fundamental principles of Conservatism have a long thread running through them that does not need to be modernised.

Conservatism is itself a modernism, and in this lies the secret of its success.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.

Modern political science started in the late nineteenth century as a branch of history.

You know, conservatism is not a bad thing. It's not a pejorative.

True conservatives fear anything that is at odds with the status quo, even to the extent of being unable to recognise when the status quo represents injustice. And reactionary conservatives actually want to tear down the gains of the past.

Conservatism, I believe, is mainly due to want of imagination.

A small acquaintance with history shows that all governments are selfish and the French governments more selfish than most.

The castle which conservatism is set to defend is the actual state of things, good and bad.

Men are conservatives when they are least vigorous, or when they are most luxurious. They are conservatives after dinner.

Following the pattern of right-wing philosophizing, he [Barry Goldwater] proves his points by quoting 18th-Century Americans, 19th-Century Englishmen, and 20th-Century Communists.

The most conservative man in the world is the British Trade Unionist when you want to change him.

If there had been Twitter at the time of the French Revolution, they would have claimed that the French Revolution was caused by twitter.

Nothing is more difficult, in general, than to make a nation perceive anything as true, or seek its own interest, in any manner but as its forefathers have opined and acted.

Of course, it is the case that conservatism as I envisage it distances itself always from abstract conceptions and tries to find the concrete reality.

Conservatives hold on to things not only because they are attached to them, but also because they do not see the sense in radical change, until someone has told them what it will lead to.

As an ideology - and certainly as a political identity - conservatism is less popular than the very principles and values it stands for.

Opposition to social change is but one pillar of contemporary Republicanism.

People don't see very often their death coming... Look at the French Revolution: The king of France was thinking in the 1780s, 'We're doing rather better than my father in the 1770s.'

In reality, anyone can call themselves a conservative. There is no secret handshake or written test to prove your bona fides. But the true conservative reaches outcomes by respecting and heeding to well-developed, sound principles.

Conservatism therefore looks upon the enhancement of man's spiritual nature as the primary concern of political philosophy. Liberals, on the other hand,— in the name of a concern for “human beings”— regard the satisfaction of economic wants as the dominant mission of society.

Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny. It's the only one. It's based on thousands of years of human experience. There is nothing narrow about the conservative philosophy. It's a liberating philosophy. It is a magnificent philosophy. It is a philosophy for the ages, for all times.

Conservatism leads nowhere; it satisfies no ideal.

A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism.