William F. Buckley, Jr.

A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'

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'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.

One must bear in mind that the expansion of federal activity is a form of eating for politicians.

I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.

You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.

Government can't do anything for you except in proportion as it can do something to you.

A good debater is not necessarily an effective vote-getter: you can find a hole in your opponent's argument through which you could drive a coach and four ringing jingle bells all the way, and thrill at the crystallization of a truth wrung out from a bloody dialogue - which, however, may warm only you and your muse, while the smiling paralogist has in the meantime made votes by the tens of thousands.

All that is good is not embodied in the law; and all that is evil is not proscribed by the law. A well-disciplined society needs few laws; but it needs strong mores.

One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed - different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat.

Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich.

I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.