Conservatives respect the wisdom of their ancestors; they are dubious of wholesale alteration. They think society is a spiritual reality, possessing an eternal life but a delicate constitution: it cannot be scrapped and recast as if it were a machine.

— Russell Kirk The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

More quotes by Russell Kirk

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

Prescription, Authority, and Ordered Freedom,” in What is Conservatism? (1964)

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

The Roots of American Order (1974)

Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective (1989)

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Russell Kirk (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.