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If a man acknowledges no authority, he sets himself up as Cain, and before long he is struck down by nemesis, which follows upon hubris.

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

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More quotes by Russell Kirk

Burke, could he see our century, never would concede that a consumption-society is the end for which Providence has prepared man.

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

True conservatism rises at the antipodes from individualism. Individualism is social atomism; conservatism is community of spirit.

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot (1953)

The natural law is an instrument for progress, not a weapon of revolution.

The Roots of American Order (1974)

Global environmentalists have said and written enough to leave no doubt that their goal is to destroy the prosperous economies of the world's richest nations.

Economics: Work and Prosperity in Christian Perspective (1989)

When heaven and earth have passed away, perhaps the conservative mind and the libertarian mind may be joined in synthesis, but not until then.

Libertarians: Chirping Sectaries (1981)

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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.