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.
William F. Buckley, Jr.Read
A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'
Interpretation
The quote critiques conservatives who resist change and progress in society.
William F. Buckley, Jr.'s quote reflects the viewpoint that conservatives often oppose advancements, attempting to halt the natural course of history. This metaphorical stance of 'yelling stop' implies not only resistance but also a desire to preserve the past, emphasizing the tension between progressives and conservatives in the political landscape.
In practice
This quote could be used in a political debate to highlight conservative resistance to progressive reforms.
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.
Foreign policy is an explicitly amoral enterprise.
I have always been of opinion that all the political workers should be indifferent and should never bother about the legal fight in the law courts and should boldly bear the heaviest possible sentences inflicted upon them. They may defend themselves but always from purely political considerations and never from a personal point of view.
We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them.
Our ability to participate in government, to elect our leaders and to improve our lives is contingent upon our ability to access the ballot. We know in our heart of hearts that voting is a sacred right - the fount from which all other rights flow.
The great enemy of freedom is the alignment of political power with wealth. This alignment destroys the commonwealth - that is, the natural wealth of localities and the local economies of household, neighborhood, and community - and so destroys democracy, of which the commonwealth is the foundation and practical means.
Without alienation, there can be no politics.
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