--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be conservative in what you do, be…" description: "\"Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.\" — Jon Postel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png" --- # Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you… ![“Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.” quote by Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png) > “Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.” [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adopt a flexible, open mindset toward others’ ideas while staying disciplined in your own actions. **In simple terms:** Be disciplined, stay open. Key Takeaway Balance rigor with openness. Themes technology collaboration flexibility Mood pragmatic inspirational Type technical philosophical When to use this quote - software development - open‑source projects - team brainstorming Key Concepts protocol design open standards acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what to accept? - When should you enforce strict rules? A Different Perspective Too much openness can dilute standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-liberal/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal/) [Liberal Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-accept-2704793/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [You can be a liberal and accept same-sex marriage and all that, but that's your business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/you-can-be-a-liberal-and-accept-same-sex-marriage-and-all-that-but/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-liberal-in-what-you-accept-and-conservative-in-what-you-send/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [It is said that a neo-conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stockwell-day/it-is-said-that-a-neo-conservative-is-a-liberal-who-has-been-mugged/) [Stockwell Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stockwell-day/) > [Conservatives are inclined to use the powers of government to prevent change or to limit its rate to whatever appeals to the more timid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/conservatives-are-inclined-to-use-the-powers-of-government-to-prevent/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Some things I think are very conservative, or very liberal. I think when someone falls into one category for everything, I'm very suspicious. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/some-things-i-think-are-very-conservative-or-very-liberal-i-think/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [Whatever your political affiliation may be, whether you are a conservative or liberal, we should all be bound by the belief that we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-kita/whatever-your-political-affiliation-may-be-whether-you-are-a/) [Candace Kita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-kita/) > [A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, and a libertarian is a conservative who's been indicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/a-conservative-is-a-liberal-who-s-been-mugged-and-a-libertarian-is-a/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [TCP implementations will follow a general principle of robustness: be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/tcp-implementations-will-follow-a-general-principle-of-robustness-be/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Donald Trump is not ideological. Now, to me, that means more than he's not just conservative or liberal. He knows what both things are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-not-ideological-now-to-me-that-means-more-than-he-s/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [A conservative is a liberal who got mugged the night before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rizzo/a-conservative-is-a-liberal-who-got-mugged-the-night-before/) [Frank Rizzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rizzo/) > [The shortest way to change a radical into a conservative, a liberal into a tyrant, a man into a beast, is to give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-shortest-way-to-change-a-radical-into-a-conservative-a-liberal/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [Liberal talk on the radio doesn't perform well because it is not a sequestered to a niche - it's everywhere in the media universe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-loesch/liberal-talk-on-the-radio-doesn-t-perform-well-because-it-is-not-a/) [Dana Loesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-loesch/) > [It is the liberal philosophy, not the conservative one, that views humans as selfish automatons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-west/it-is-the-liberal-philosophy-not-the-conservative-one-that-views/) [Allen West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-west/) > [Trump is more conservative on individual rights, domestic issues, economic issues and defense. On the other hand, Clinton is quite liberal and wishes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrizio-moreira/trump-is-more-conservative-on-individual-rights-domestic-issues/) [Fabrizio Moreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabrizio-moreira/) > [I would say I'm a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, if that contradiction can make sense, because in Bolivia, we have a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gonzalo-sanchez-de-lozada/i-would-say-i-m-a-fiscal-conservative-and-a-social-liberal-if-that/) [Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gonzalo-sanchez-de-lozada/) ## More by Jon Postel > [I think that audio and video over the internet in the sense of teleconferencing and telephone calls. Maybe we'll actually have picture phone through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/i-think-that-audio-and-video-over-the-internet-in-the-sense-of/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Being in the limelight has its minuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/being-in-the-limelight-has-its-minuses/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [But I do have a computer at home and a pretty good ISDN connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/but-i-do-have-a-computer-at-home-and-a-pretty-good-isdn-connection/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/a-name-indicates-what-we-seek-an-address-indicates-where-it-is-a/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [TCP implementations will follow a general principle of robustness: be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/tcp-implementations-will-follow-a-general-principle-of-robustness-be/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [There was one issue on which there seemed to be almost unanimity: the Internet should not be managed by any government, national or multinational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/there-was-one-issue-on-which-there-seemed-to-be-almost-unanimity-the/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Be conservative in its sending behavior, and liberal in its receiving behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-conservative-in-its-sending-behavior-and-liberal-in-its-receiving/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [The world wide web has really been quite spectacular and not something I would have predicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/the-world-wide-web-has-really-been-quite-spectacular-and-not/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [All this stuff was done via FTP but the web has put a really nice user interface on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/all-this-stuff-was-done-via-ftp-but-the-web-has-put-a-really-nice/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [But as soon as we got that higher speed access to the home there?s going to be a tremendous crunch on the backbones for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/but-as-soon-as-we-got-that-higher-speed-access-to-the-home-there-s/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Group discussion is very valuable; group drafting is less productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/group-discussion-is-very-valuable-group-drafting-is-less-productive/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Everyone should have ten megabits and then the web will be a wonderful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/everyone-should-have-ten-megabits-and-then-the-web-will-be-a/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [In a chemistry class there was a guy sitting in front of me doing what looked like a jigsaw puzzle or some really weird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/in-a-chemistry-class-there-was-a-guy-sitting-in-front-of-me-doing/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Then I started graduate school at UCLA. I got a part time research assistant job as a programmer on a project involving the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/then-i-started-graduate-school-at-ucla-i-got-a-part-time-research/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [Corporate documents, like football game plans, are not easily drafted in a stadium, with thousands of very interested fans participating, each with their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/corporate-documents-like-football-game-plans-are-not-easily-drafted/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) [Explore all 32 Jon Postel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) ## More Accept quotes > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [The fans can accept a poor performance, but they won't take it when you choose not to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/the-fans-can-accept-a-poor-performance-but-they-won-t-take-it-when/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/) [Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/) > [It's very important to me that people accept me as a transgendered female. But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/) [Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/) > [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/) [Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/) > [Not harder than it should be, no. We're about the business, we're about the work. It's all about the work, always. We have fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/not-harder-than-it-should-be-no-we-re-about-the-business-we-re-about/) [Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/) > [I wish I could just accept that I'm not that good and not be shy about the fact that I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-wish-i-could-just-accept-that-i-m-not-that-good-and-not-be-shy/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [“I hope there is less stigma and judgment against working moms and childless career women. All should be acceptable positions and society should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chan-heng-chee/i-hope-there-is-less-stigma-and-judgment-against-working-moms-and/) [Chan Heng Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chan-heng-chee/) > [“Of course I can accept you for who you are. You are someone I need to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-glasbergen/of-course-i-can-accept-you-for-who-you-are-you-are-someone-i-need-to/) [Randy Glasbergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-glasbergen/) > [I can't be that kind of person others want me to be.I know I can't please everybody for just being me But I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/i-can-t-be-that-kind-of-person-others-want-me-to-be-i-know-i-can-t/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [I don't care who you are,Where you from,As long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-vibz/i-don-t-care-who-you-are-where-you-from-as-long-as-you-love-me/) [Mks Vibz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-vibz/) [Browse all 2,963 Accept quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Postel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-liberal-in-what-you-accept-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accept" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-liberal-in-what-you-accept-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/jon-postel-19538_accept_be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-libera_2041816.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.” — Jon Postel", "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": "Jon Postel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Be conservative in what you do,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-liberal-in-what-you-accept-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/be-conservative-in-what-you-do-be-liberal-in-what-you-accept-from/#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 } } ] } ```