--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a particular view, still popular…" description: "\"“There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing intellectuals in the West, that the Soviet system was “socialism gone wrong.” This thought e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg" --- # There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing… ![“There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing intellectuals in the West, that the Soviet system was “socialism gone wrong.” This thought expresses precisely the major political danger of our times, which is the belief that politics involves a choice of systems, as a means to an end, so…” quote by Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg) > ““There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing intellectuals in the West, that the Soviet system was “socialism gone wrong.” This thought expresses precisely the major political danger of our times, which is the belief that politics involves a choice of systems, as a means to an end, so that one system may “go wrong” while another “goes right.” The truth is that socialism is wrong, precisely because it believes that it can go right—precisely because it sees politics asa means to an end. Politics is a manner of social existence, whose bedrock is the given obligations from which our social identities are formed. Politics is a form of association which is not a means to an end, but an end in itself. It is founded on legitimacy, and legitimacy resides in our sense that we are made by our inheritance.”” [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that viewing socialism as a system that can be corrected is flawed; politics should be an end in itself, grounded in legitimacy and social identity, not a means to achieve an ideal. **In simple terms:** Politics is an end, not a tool; socialism is inherently flawed. Key Takeaway Treat politics as a communal practice, not a system to be fixed. Themes politics philosophy ideology legitimacy social identity Mood thoughtful critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - public debate - policy making - civic education - community building Key Concepts social contract political theory critical theory Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance political ideals with practical governance? - What role does legitimacy play in modern societies? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex political realities and ignore practical governance challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-politics-714595/) [Formed Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formed-politics-1534787/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Socialism Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism-wrong-1534786/) [Truth Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-socialism-1534788/) ## Related quotes > [Socialism is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/socialism-is-always-wrong/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [The political parties who prefer lockdowns should end their politics that is based on negative attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehbaz-sharif/the-political-parties-who-prefer-lockdowns-should-end-their-politics/) [Shehbaz Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehbaz-sharif/) > [The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-end-move-in-politics-is-always-to-pick-up-a-gun/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [A lot of the geeks in Silicon Valley will tell you they no longer believe in the ability of policymakers in Washington to accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/a-lot-of-the-geeks-in-silicon-valley-will-tell-you-they-no-longer/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [ The contradiction \[trying to use Russian model to reshape Italy\] grew to such an extent that I felt totally cut off from the communist… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-contradiction-trying-to-use-russian-model-to-reshape-italy-grew/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [I believe people who go into politics want to do the right thing. And then they hit a big wall of re-election and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-believe-people-who-go-into-politics-want-to-do-the-right-thing-and/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [War is not a means to an end, it is the end, whereas politics is merely the hiatus between wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/war-is-not-a-means-to-an-end-it-is-the-end-whereas-politics-is-merely/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [If you talk you always end up with politics, it gets nowhere. I mean man it's strictly from the soft typewriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/if-you-talk-you-always-end-up-with-politics-it-gets-nowhere-i-mean/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I want to point out, there are a lot of politicians who enjoy the political end of politics, but they're not interested in governance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/i-want-to-point-out-there-are-a-lot-of-politicians-who-enjoy-the/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Politics, in my judgment, has become not just the means to a policy ends, but it's become the end itself. Politics has become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeh-johnson/politics-in-my-judgment-has-become-not-just-the-means-to-a-policy/) [Jeh Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeh-johnson/) > [We will end the politics of profit. We will end the rule of special interests. We will end the raiding of our jobs by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-end-the-politics-of-profit-we-will-end-the-rule-of-special/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [You've got Washington picking winners and losers. And so, all of a sudden, decisions are being made on what helps politicians, not what helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/you-ve-got-washington-picking-winners-and-losers-and-so-all-of-a/) [Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/) > [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/) [Harold Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-covington/) > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) ## More by Roger Scruton > [Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it does not matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-is-vanishing-from-our-world-because-we-live-as-though-it-does/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“So conceived, the English police force served to emphasize a fundamental truth about the English law, which is that it exists not to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/so-conceived-the-english-police-force-served-to-emphasize-a/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [My 2018 ended with a hate storm, in response to my appointment as chair of the government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/my-2018-ended-with-a-hate-storm-in-response-to-my-appointment-as/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I've never been an optimist, but that's fine because pessimists have the possibility of being agreeably surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-ve-never-been-an-optimist-but-that-s-fine-because-pessimists-have/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Unlike every other product that is now manufactured for the table, wine exists in as many varieties as there are people who produce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/unlike-every-other-product-that-is-now-manufactured-for-the-table/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-abstract-unreal-freedom-of-the-liberal-intellect-was-really/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I think we can all see the force of the idea that there are certain things that cannot be done to human beings –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-think-we-can-all-see-the-force-of-the-idea-that-there-are-certain/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [When art becomes merely shock value, our sense of humanity is slowly degraded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/when-art-becomes-merely-shock-value-our-sense-of-humanity-is-slowly/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Western democracies did not create the virtue of citizenship; on the contrary, they grew from it. Nothing is more evident in The Federalist than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/western-democracies-did-not-create-the-virtue-of-citizenship-on-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“If one looks back to the French Revolution, one sees just how easy it is for the doctrine of “human rights” to become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/if-one-looks-back-to-the-french-revolution-one-sees-just-how-easy-it/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I say it was immediately apparent, but it was not apparent to the intellectual class, which has remained largely wedded to the post-war consensus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-say-it-was-immediately-apparent-but-it-was-not-apparent-to-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Conservatives hold on to things not only because they are attached to them, but also because they do not see the sense in radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/conservatives-hold-on-to-things-not-only-because-they-are-attached-to/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Academic philosophers in the English speaking world still regard philosophy as Locke defined it in the 17th century, as “the handmaiden of the sciences”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/academic-philosophers-in-the-english-speaking-world-still-regard/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Delia Smith is, actually, my bete noire. I consider her a most pernicious influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/delia-smith-is-actually-my-bete-noire-i-consider-her-a-most/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Modern art was born from a desire to destroy kitsch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/modern-art-was-born-from-a-desire-to-destroy-kitsch/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) [Explore all 317 Roger Scruton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## More Politics quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/) [Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“Jim Reston: Walking through the crowds of air-kissing politicians, actors and high fliers, it was tough to tell where the politics stopped and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/jim-reston-walking-through-the-crowds-of-air-kissing-politicians/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramman-kenoun/a-man-who-kills-on-his-own-is-a-murderer-a-man-who-kills-at-his/) [Ramman Kenoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramman-kenoun/) > [Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/politics-in-philadelphia-is-a-contact-sport/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 44,914 Politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing intellectuals in the West, that the Soviet system was “socialism gone wrong.” This thought expresses precisely the major political danger of our times, which is the belief that politics involves a choice of systems, as a means to an end, so that one system may “go wrong” while another “goes right.” The truth is that socialism is wrong, precisely because it believes that it can go right—precisely because it sees politics asa means to an end. Politics is a manner of social existence, whose bedrock is the given obligations from which our social identities are formed. Politics is a form of association which is not a means to an end, but an end in itself. It is founded on legitimacy, and legitimacy resides in our sense that we are made by our inheritance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Scruton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular-among-left-wing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular-among-left-wing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/roger-scruton-971_politics_there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular_933032.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a particular view, still popular among left-wing intellectuals in the West, that the Soviet system…” — Roger Scruton", "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": "Roger Scruton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is a particular view, still...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular-among-left-wing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/there-is-a-particular-view-still-popular-among-left-wing/#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 } } ] } ```