--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Founders were not democrats and…" description: "\"The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a complex system ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg" --- # The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but… ![“The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a complex system designed to frustrate the schemes of social redeemers and others convinced of their own invincible virtue.” quote by David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg) > “The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a complex system designed to frustrate the schemes of social redeemers and others convinced of their own invincible virtue.” [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservatives historically distrusted political fervor and built systems to curb radical reforms. **In simple terms:** Conservatives fear extreme politics and create checks. Key Takeaway Understand political motives. Themes politics conservatism skepticism Mood analytical critical Type historical political When to use this quote - policy debates - historical analysis - government design Key Concepts institutional design political theory Questions to Reflect On - Do all conservatives share this distrust? - How do modern parties compare? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizes complex history. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complex systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-systems/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Conservatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Invincible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invincible/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Redeemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redeemer/) [Schemes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schemes/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“The founders were not democrats and socialists like Hertzberg. They were conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-like-hertzberg-they/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [The distrust of the political system is unhealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sunde/the-distrust-of-the-political-system-is-unhealthy/) [Peter Sunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sunde/) > [Washington's answer to a self-inflicted financial crisis reminded Americans why they so deeply distrust the political class. The 'fiscal cliff' process was secretive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/washington-s-answer-to-a-self-inflicted-financial-crisis-reminded/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [What seems interesting to me is to reproduce in the figurative representation of an object the whole complex system of impressions we receive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/what-seems-interesting-to-me-is-to-reproduce-in-the-figurative/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) > [I believe the evidence strongly supports common descent. But the root question remains unanswered: What has caused complex systems to form?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/i-believe-the-evidence-strongly-supports-common-descent-but-the-root/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [“What’s the point of making predictions if they cannot change anything? 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/what-s-the-point-of-making-predictions-if-they-cannot-change-anything/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [You show me a successful complex system, and I will show you a system that has evolved through trial and error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/you-show-me-a-successful-complex-system-and-i-will-show-you-a-system/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [The first proponent of cortical memory networks on a major scale was neither a neuroscientist nor a computer scientist but .. a Viennes economist:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/the-first-proponent-of-cortical-memory-networks-on-a-major-scale-was/) Joaquin Fuster > [It is important to understand that while oxytocin may be the hub of the evolution of the social brain in mammals, it is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/it-is-important-to-understand-that-while-oxytocin-may-be-the-hub-of/) [Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/) > [Global terrorism is extreme both in its lack of realistic goals and in its cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of complex systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-habermas/global-terrorism-is-extreme-both-in-its-lack-of-realistic-goals-and/) [Jurgen Habermas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-habermas/) > [“Interpretation of Complex Systems Kenyon B. De Greene All systems evolve, although the rates of evolution may vary over time both between and within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-douglas-kiel/interpretation-of-complex-systems-kenyon-b-de-greene-all-systems/) L. Douglas Kiel > [Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/implicit-in-the-activist-conception-of-government-is-the-assumption/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/we-don-t-live-in-a-capitalist-totality-capitalism-couldn-t-survive-as/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/when-discussing-complex-systems-like-brains-and-other-societies-it-is/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [The only way to know how a complex system will behave-after you modify it-is to modify it and see how it behaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-p-box/the-only-way-to-know-how-a-complex-system-will-behave-after-you/) [George E. P. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-e-p-box/) ## More by David Horowitz > [In entirely unrelated news, there's a new proposal to mandate coverage for gay infertility. The problem is that gay infertility is just biology. Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/in-entirely-unrelated-news-there-s-a-new-proposal-to-mandate-coverage/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“The utility of "structural" racism for demagogues like Jackson is that even while acknowledging that the vast majority of whites are no longer overtly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-utility-of-structural-racism-for-demagogues-like-jackson-is-that/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [Sanctimony is the most inexpensive form of morality. 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According to a recent poll conducted by the Freedom Forum, a liberal foundation in Tennessee, 89 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/this-is-not-a-small-matter-according-to-a-recent-poll-conducted-by/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“Conservatism does not have a party line. It is possible for conservatives to question virtually any position held by other conservatives including, evidently, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/conservatism-does-not-have-a-party-line-it-is-possible-for/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“The remedy is to terminate them after the founding generation dies out. Older foundations like Ford should be sunset immediately and its funds distributed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-remedy-is-to-terminate-them-after-the-founding-generation-dies/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“… I do not feel that life is a downhill run. Nor do I think of it as an arc that rises steadily until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/i-do-not-feel-that-life-is-a-downhill-run-nor-do-i-think-of-it-as-an/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“But Hayek is also one of the handful of social scientists who (along with his teacher Ludwig von Mises) demonstrated more than sixty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/but-hayek-is-also-one-of-the-handful-of-social-scientists-who-along/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [The source of the terror in Lebanon as in Iraq is to be found in the Koran and in the despotisms of the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-source-of-the-terror-in-lebanon-as-in-iraq-is-to-be-found-in-the/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) > [“The doctrine that only whites can be racist is, in fact, itself an instigation to hate crimes. It is a doctrine that has already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-doctrine-that-only-whites-can-be-racist-is-in-fact-itself-an/) [David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) [Explore all 107 David Horowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/) ## More Complex systems quotes > [The only way to know how a complex system will behave-after you modify it-is to modify it and see how it behaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-p-box/the-only-way-to-know-how-a-complex-system-will-behave-after-you/) [George E. P. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-e-p-box/) > [When discussing complex systems like brains and other societies, it is easy to oversimplify: I call this Occam's lobotomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-j-good/when-discussing-complex-systems-like-brains-and-other-societies-it-is/) [I. J. Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-j-good/) > [We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/we-don-t-live-in-a-capitalist-totality-capitalism-couldn-t-survive-as/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/implicit-in-the-activist-conception-of-government-is-the-assumption/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Interpretation of Complex Systems Kenyon B. De Greene All systems evolve, although the rates of evolution may vary over time both between and within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-douglas-kiel/interpretation-of-complex-systems-kenyon-b-de-greene-all-systems/) L. Douglas Kiel > [Global terrorism is extreme both in its lack of realistic goals and in its cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of complex systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-habermas/global-terrorism-is-extreme-both-in-its-lack-of-realistic-goals-and/) [Jurgen Habermas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-habermas/) > [It is important to understand that while oxytocin may be the hub of the evolution of the social brain in mammals, it is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-churchland/it-is-important-to-understand-that-while-oxytocin-may-be-the-hub-of/) [Patricia Churchland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-churchland/) > [The first proponent of cortical memory networks on a major scale was neither a neuroscientist nor a computer scientist but .. a Viennes economist:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/the-first-proponent-of-cortical-memory-networks-on-a-major-scale-was/) Joaquin Fuster > [You show me a successful complex system, and I will show you a system that has evolved through trial and error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/you-show-me-a-successful-complex-system-and-i-will-show-you-a-system/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [“What’s the point of making predictions if they cannot change anything? Some complex systems, such as the weather, are oblivious to our predictions. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/what-s-the-point-of-making-predictions-if-they-cannot-change-anything/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I believe the evidence strongly supports common descent. But the root question remains unanswered: What has caused complex systems to form?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/i-believe-the-evidence-strongly-supports-common-descent-but-the-root/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [What seems interesting to me is to reproduce in the figurative representation of an object the whole complex system of impressions we receive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/what-seems-interesting-to-me-is-to-reproduce-in-the-figurative/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) > [A rough rule in life is that an organization foolish in one way in dealing with a complex system is all too likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-rough-rule-in-life-is-that-an-organization-foolish-in-one-way-in/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Consciousness, like a complex system of software, has thousands of levels of nested, self-accessing subroutines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/consciousness-like-a-complex-system-of-software-has-thousands-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“all these complex systems have somehow acquired the ability to bring order and chaos into a special kind of balance. 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Mitchell Waldrop [Browse all 94 Complex systems quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-systems/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political passions and who devised a complex system designed to frustrate the schemes of social redeemers and others convinced of their own invincible virtue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Horowitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-but-conservatives-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complex systems" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-but-conservatives-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/david-horowitz-4695_complex-systems_the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-soci_1002215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Founders were not democrats and socialists..., but conservatives who had a healthy distrust of political…” — David Horowitz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Horowitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Founders were not democrats and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-but-conservatives-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-founders-were-not-democrats-and-socialists-but-conservatives-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```