--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conservatism, ever more timorous and…" description: "\"Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh air into radicalism.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png" --- # Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the… ![“Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh air into radicalism.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png) > “Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh air into radicalism.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When conservatism becomes overly cautious and restrictive, it alienates youth, pushing them toward radical ideas. **In simple terms:** Overly cautious conservatism drives youth to radicalism. Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue and balanced reform. Themes conservatism radicalism generational conflict political change Mood concerned reflective optimistic Type political philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - education reform - family discussions - youth activism - policy debates - community forums Key Concepts social dynamics political theory psychology of rebellion Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance tradition and innovation? - What role does fear play in political shifts? A Different Perspective If conservatism adapts, it may retain youth without radical shift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Fresh air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-air/) [Radicalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radicalism/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) ## Related quotes > [The spirit of our American radicalism is destructive and aimless; it is not loving; it has no ulterior and divine ends; but is destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-spirit-of-our-american-radicalism-is-destructive-and-aimless-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I wonder what disgusts you more, the fact that I’m a demon, or the fact that when I touch you, it doesn’t matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/i-wonder-what-disgusts-you-more-the-fact-that-i-m-a-demon-or-the-fact/) [Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/) > [Women are constituted in such a way that all truth (regarding men, love, children, society, the purpose of life) disgusts them, and in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/women-are-constituted-in-such-a-way-that-all-truth-regarding-men-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I've never had sex. Never wanted to. Not with a man or a woman or an animal, though my family jokes about it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-phillips/i-ve-never-had-sex-never-wanted-to-not-with-a-man-or-a-woman-or-an/) [Marie Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-phillips/) > [The way to perfection is through a series of disgusts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/the-way-to-perfection-is-through-a-series-of-disgusts/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [China once again disgusts the world, portraying the image of a cruel, perverted people devoid of any feelings towards animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/china-once-again-disgusts-the-world-portraying-the-image-of-a-cruel/) [Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/) > [If something about the human body disgusts you, the fault lies with the manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-something-about-the-human-body-disgusts-you-the-fault-lies-with/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [“He disgusted them the way a fat spider that you can't bring yourslef to crush in your own hand disgusts you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-disgusted-them-the-way-a-fat-spider-that-you-can-t-bring-yourslef/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [Nothing human disgusts me unless it's unkind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/nothing-human-disgusts-me-unless-it-s-unkind/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“If in our day there are so many men that pass before the Cross wagging their head, who gaze at our altars with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-bougaud/if-in-our-day-there-are-so-many-men-that-pass-before-the-cross/) Emile Bougaud > [“The fact that I ever raised my hand against a woman disgusts me. It was a f\*\*king atrocious, unforgivable way to behave, and there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/the-fact-that-i-ever-raised-my-hand-against-a-woman-disgusts-me-it/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Once one has been to these challenging terrible places they’re always strangely drawn back… because there’s nothing that can compare to seeing the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-eldon/once-one-has-been-to-these-challenging-terrible-places-they-re-always/) [Dan Eldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-eldon/) > [We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-desire-and-we-desire-what/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [“Nothing human disgusts me unless its unkind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/nothing-human-disgusts-me-unless-its-unkind/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“So powerful are race- and status-based disgusts that explorers have starved to death rather than eat like the locals. British polar exploration suffered heavily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/so-powerful-are-race-and-status-based-disgusts-that-explorers-have/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh air into radicalism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narrow-disgusts-the-children-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narrow-disgusts-the-children-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_air_conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narr_1784178.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson", "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narrow-disgusts-the-children-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narrow-disgusts-the-children-and/#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 } } ] } ```