--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conservatives believe government's…" description: "\"Conservatives believe government's principal functions are the preservation of freedom and removal of restraints on the individual. Liberalism's ascent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/george-will-1177_ascent_conservatives-believe-government-s-princ_1612244.png" --- # Conservatives believe government's principal functions are… ![“Conservatives believe government's principal functions are the preservation of freedom and removal of restraints on the individual. Liberalism's ascent in the first two-thirds of this century reflected the new belief that government should also confer capacities on individuals. Liberalism's…” quote by George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/george-will-1177_ascent_conservatives-believe-government-s-princ_1612244.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/george-will-1177_ascent_conservatives-believe-government-s-princ_1612244.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/george-will-1177_ascent_conservatives-believe-government-s-princ_1612244.png) > “Conservatives believe government's principal functions are the preservation of freedom and removal of restraints on the individual. Liberalism's ascent in the first two-thirds of this century reflected the new belief that government should also confer capacities on individuals. Liberalism's decline in the final third of this century has reflected doubts about whether government can be good at that, or whether government that is good at that is good for the nation's character.” [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage outlines how liberalism shifted from empowering individuals to questioning government's role, reflecting changing views on state capacity and national character. **In simple terms:** Liberalism’s rise and fall show shifting trust in government’s ability to help people. Key Takeaway Consider how government actions shape personal freedoms. Themes politics government ideology Mood analytical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy debates - civic education - public discourse Key Concepts social contract state capacity national identity Questions to Reflect On - Do you trust government to enhance personal capacities? - How should societies balance freedom and support? A Different Perspective Critics argue government overreach can erode liberty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Preservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preservation/) [Restraint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraint/) ## Related quotes > [“Under liberalism, went a famous quip, everyone is free to starve. Even worse, by encouraging people to view themselves as isolated individuals, liberalism separates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/under-liberalism-went-a-famous-quip-everyone-is-free-to-starve-even/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ If the 19th \[century\] was the century of the individual (liberalism means individualism), you may consider that this is the "collective" century, and therefore… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benito-mussolini/if-the-19th-century-was-the-century-of-the-individual-liberalism/) [Benito Mussolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benito-mussolini/) > [It is up to Labour to keep alive the belief that government should be for the whole nation and that no section of society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/it-is-up-to-labour-to-keep-alive-the-belief-that-government-should-be/) [Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/) > [Mr. Obama is proud of his belief that government knows best. 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But the belief in “government” – the notion that some people actually have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larken-rose/government-itself-does-no-harm-because-it-is-a-fictional-entity-but/) [Larken Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larken-rose/) > [What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/what-we-have-to-do-is-strike-a-balance-between-the-idea-that/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [The conservative movement, to which I subscribe, has as one of its basic tenets the belief that government should stay out of people’s private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/the-conservative-movement-to-which-i-subscribe-has-as-one-of-its/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [Neither the wording of the amendment itself nor common practice challenged the widely held belief that government guaranteed freedom of religion, not freedom from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-chavez/neither-the-wording-of-the-amendment-itself-nor-common-practice/) [Linda Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-chavez/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/) ## More by George Will > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. 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Sport, they said, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/greek-philosophers-considered-sport-a-religious-and-civic-in-a-word/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [When I'm in my car, I'm listening to books, audio books, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/when-i-m-in-my-car-i-m-listening-to-books-audio-books-always/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/just-as-the-common-law-derives-from-ancient-precedents-judges/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I've lived in Washington now for 44 years, and that's a lot of folly to witness up close. Whatever confidence and optimism I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/i-ve-lived-in-washington-now-for-44-years-and-that-s-a-lot-of-folly/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. 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No one need risk it, but it is certain that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-one-should-deny-the-danger-of-the-descent-but-it-can-be-risked-no/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [The real goal of a spiritual tradition should not be ascent, but openness, vulnerability, and this does not require great experiences but, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-berman/the-real-goal-of-a-spiritual-tradition-should-not-be-ascent-but/) [Morris Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-berman/) > [As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it. And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steindl-rast/as-i-express-my-gratitude-i-become-more-deeply-aware-of-it-and-the/) [David Steindl-Rast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steindl-rast/) > [The growth of all the plants of the garden from seeds and roots keep us mindful, in accordance with of the Parable of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stokes/the-growth-of-all-the-plants-of-the-garden-from-seeds-and-roots-keep/) John Stokes > [There is wonder and a certain wicked pleasure in these giddy ascents and terrible falls, especially as they happen to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-is-wonder-and-a-certain-wicked-pleasure-in-these-giddy-ascents/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [I at once commenced the ascent through a shower of arrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crook/i-at-once-commenced-the-ascent-through-a-shower-of-arrows/) [George Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crook/) > [Sometimes, when I get a good picture, it feels like I have taken another nervous step into increasingly rarified air. 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