--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Their very conservatism is secondhand…" description: "\"Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.\" — Robertson Davies" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/robertson-davies-834_conservatism_their-very-conservatism-is-secondhand-an_2291995.png" --- # Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know… ![“Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.” quote by Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/robertson-davies-834_conservatism_their-very-conservatism-is-secondhand-an_2291995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/robertson-davies-834_conservatism_their-very-conservatism-is-secondhand-an_2291995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f1/robertson-davies-834_conservatism_their-very-conservatism-is-secondhand-an_2291995.png) > “Their very conservatism is secondhand, and they don't know what they are conserving.” [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservatism often copies past ideas without understanding their original purpose. **In simple terms:** Blind tradition. Key Takeaway Question inherited beliefs. Themes tradition conservatism critical thinking Mood skeptical inquisitive Type analytical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - politics - education - family values - cultural practices Key Concepts historical analysis social critique Questions to Reflect On - What traditions need re‑examination? - How can you honor roots while innovating? A Different Perspective Blind adherence can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Secondhand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secondhand/) ## Related quotes > [The whole world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossified minds are easily dealt with. But men who look young, act young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-whole-world-is-burdened-with-young-fogies-old-men-with-ossified/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The world is burdened with young fogies. Old men with ossified minds are easily dealt with. But men who look young, act young and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-world-is-burdened-with-young-fogies-old-men-with-ossified-minds/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [My father, whose hobby was collecting secondhand cricket books, came back from a book fair one day with a copy of 'The Body In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/my-father-whose-hobby-was-collecting-secondhand-cricket-books-came/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [Secondhand smoke is toxic to bystanders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/secondhand-smoke-is-toxic-to-bystanders/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [“A writer who can’t use his firsthand experience must turn to secondhand experience, which can lead to thirdhand clichés.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-writer-who-can-t-use-his-firsthand-experience-must-turn-to/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“By now, I probably preferred secondhand books to new ones. In America such items were disparagingly referred to as “previously owned”; but this very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/by-now-i-probably-preferred-secondhand-books-to-new-ones-in-america/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [A secondhand wardrobe hand clothes doesn't make one an artist. Neither do a hair-trigger temper, melancholic nature, propensity for tears, hating your parents, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/a-secondhand-wardrobe-hand-clothes-doesn-t-make-one-an-artist-neither/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [“It’s a secondhand world we’re born into. What is novel to us is only so because we’re newborn, and what we cannot see, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-min/it-s-a-secondhand-world-we-re-born-into-what-is-novel-to-us-is-only/) Katherine Min > [Secondhand experience breaks down a block from the car lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/secondhand-experience-breaks-down-a-block-from-the-car-lot/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have a lot of vinyl, but I only buy old records on vinyl. Like secondhand. It's too expensive otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-rose/i-have-a-lot-of-vinyl-but-i-only-buy-old-records-on-vinyl-like/) [Caitlin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-rose/) > [“What a treasure, to meet with any thing a new heart-- all hearts, nowadays, are secondhand at best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/what-a-treasure-to-meet-with-any-thing-a-new-heart-all-hearts/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [Have you had your bad luck, until today, You Got Everything As Secondhand! So, What's You Thinks About Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/have-you-had-your-bad-luck-until-today-you-got-everything-as/) Mak\_786 > [When my kids were toddlers, they had all these rotomolded plastic things. My life became surrounded by big, hollow plastic toys - from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lynn/when-my-kids-were-toddlers-they-had-all-these-rotomolded-plastic/) [Greg Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lynn/) > [I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-do-love-secondhand-books-that-open-to-the-page-some-previous-owner/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [“Secondhand books are full of mysteries, which is why I like them. Frederick”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/secondhand-books-are-full-of-mysteries-which-is-why-i-like-them/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) ## More by Robertson Davies > [“...the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-irrational-will-have-its-say-perhaps-because-irrational-is-the/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [If you're going to do something that looks evil, don't smear it with icing and pretend it's good; just bloody well do it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-that-looks-evil-don-t-smear-it-with/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/extraordinary-people-survive-under-the-most-terrible-circumstances/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [If I had to describe my remarks this evening frankly as if I were in police court and on oath, so to speak I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-i-had-to-describe-my-remarks-this-evening-frankly-as-if-i-were-in/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-people-of-the-united-states-perhaps-more-than-any-other-nation-in/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-don-t-suppose-god-laughs-at-the-people-who-think-he-doesn-t-exist/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/inactivity-and-deprivation-of-all-accustomed-stimulus-is-not-rest-it/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“My lifelong involvement with Mrs Dempster began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, at which time I was ten years and seven months old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/my-lifelong-involvement-with-mrs-dempster-began-at-5-58-o-clock-p-m/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The art of the quoter is to know when to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-art-of-the-quoter-is-to-know-when-to-stop/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-samuel-marchbanks-is-one-of-the-choice-and/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Nobody who looks as though he enjoyed life is ever called distinguished, though he is a man in a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/nobody-who-looks-as-though-he-enjoyed-life-is-ever-called/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [They're all so highly educated, you know. Education is a great shield against experience. It offers so much, ready-made and all from the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/they-re-all-so-highly-educated-you-know-education-is-a-great-shield/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Students today are a pretty solemn lot. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/students-today-are-a-pretty-solemn-lot-one-of-the-really-notable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) [Explore all 357 Robertson Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) ## More Conservatism quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. 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I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) > [Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/conservatism-is-affecting-the-way-women-perceive-who-they-are-in-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Admirers can be a tremendous force for conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/admirers-can-be-a-tremendous-force-for-conservatism/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [A liberal is only a bundle of prejudices until he has mastered, has understood, experienced the philosophy of Conservatism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-acton/a-liberal-is-only-a-bundle-of-prejudices-until-he-has-mastered-has/) [Lord Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-acton/) > [“At the time, he told his children to watch themselves, to understand that the tides of conservatism came and went and if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/at-the-time-he-told-his-children-to-watch-themselves-to-understand/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/conservatism-is-the-worship-of-dead-revolutions/) [Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/) > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. 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