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William F. Buckley, Jr.

William F. Buckley, Jr. Quotes

Author

William F. Buckley, Jr., born on November 24, 1925, and died on February 27, 2008, was a prominent American author, political commentator, and television host. Known for his conservative stance and sharp wit, Buckley was a key figure in the American conservative movement of the 20th century.

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Famous William F. Buckley, Jr. Quotes

“A capitalist is someone who derives a substantial share of his income from his equity in producing companies. On this scale the figures are discouraging. Approximately ninety percent of the capital of this country is owned by five or less percent of the American people.”

People Country Wisdom Politics Company Economy Five Share Figures Percent Scales Income Liberalism Capitalist Equity Ninety Discouraging

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“People are beginning to wish that the voters had been given breathometer tests when they voted in the present government.”

People Government Given Wish Tests Voters

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“He [Cassius Clay] became a Black Muslim, which is a pseudo-religion for unbright neurotics who feel the need to hate all white people.”

People Needs Feels Hate Black White Clay Pseudo Cassius Cassius Clay

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“They are men and women who tend to believe that the human being is perfectible and social progress predictable, and that the instrument for effecting the two is reason; that truths are transitory and empirically determined; that equality is desirable and attainable through the action of state power; that social and individual differences, if they are not rational, are objectionable, and should be scientifically eliminated; that all people and societies strive to organize themselves upon a rationalist and scientific paradigm.”

“A society is not 'free' merely because the freedoms the people are doing away with are those they voted at the last election to do without.”

People Lasts Election

Book:Up from Liberalism

Source: Up from Liberalism

“I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Manhattan phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard.”

People Firsts Book Diversity Phones Faculty Harvard Manhattan

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“Decent people should ignore politics, if only they could be confident that politics would ignore them”

People Ifs Should Decent Be Confident

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“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.”

People Firsts States Government Politics United United States University Conservative Faculty Telephones Boston Harvard Harvard University

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“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.”

People Nations Poor Rich

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“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.”

“Liberals, it has been said, are generous with other peoples' money, except when it comes to questions of national survival when they prefer to be generous with other people's freedom and security.”

People Has Beens Said Politics Security Survival Generous

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out.”

People Want Truth Is Drag Caves Ladylike Demure

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“Scientists are people who build the Brooklyn Bridge and then buy it.”

People Scientist Bridges Brooklyn Brooklyn Bridge

Book:Who's on First

Source: Who's on First

“What yells out at the US public . . . is the incandescent hypocrisy of so many people who, in the name of free speech, persecute its practitioners if their opinions are conservative.”

People Ifs Names Opinion Speech Conservative Hypocrisy Free Speech

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

“Now it is one thing to say I say it that people shouldn't consume psychoactive drugs. It is entirely something else to condone marijuana laws, the application of which resulted, in 1995, in the arrest of 588,963 Americans. Why are we so afraid to inform ourselves on the question?”

People Law One Thing Drug Prison Application Marijuana Psychoactive Drugs

Author:William F. Buckley, Jr.

About the Author

Born: November 24, 1925
Died: February 27, 2008
Known for: Author
Quotes: 126

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Books & Sources

Athwart History: Half a Century of Polemics, Animadversions, and Illuminations: A William F. Buckley Jr. OmnibusRelated source material

Up from LiberalismRelated source material

A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth CenturyRelated source material

The Reagan I KnewRelated source material

Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription: Notes & Asides from National Review (Large Print 16pt)Related source material

Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian JournalistRelated source material

Nearer, My GodRelated source material

Right Reason: A CollectionRelated source material

The Unmaking of a MayorRelated source material

Who's on FirstRelated source material

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