---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You don't fight radical conservatism with…"
description: "\"You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.\" — Salman Rushdie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg"
---

#  You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so…

![“You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg)

> “You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.”

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Countering extreme conservatism with equally extreme tactics fails to resolve the issue.

**In simple terms:** Extreme tactics don't solve extremism.

Key Takeaway

Seek balanced, constructive opposition.

Themes

politics radicalism strategy

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

political advice

When to use this quote

- activism
- policy reform
- community building
- media engagement

Key Concepts

dialogue moderation

Questions to Reflect On

- What non‑radical methods can counter conservatism?
- How to foster inclusive dialogue?

A Different Perspective

Extremist responses can reinforce division.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/)

## Related quotes

> [I think I have quite traditional views on original sin, grace, and the real but difficult nature of we humans being able to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alison/i-think-i-have-quite-traditional-views-on-original-sin-grace-and-the/)

[James Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alison/)

> [To fight is a radical instinct; if men have nothing else to fight over they will fight over words, fancies, or women, or they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/to-fight-is-a-radical-instinct-if-men-have-nothing-else-to-fight-over/)

[George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/)

> [We have to fight radical Islam wherever it exists. It's in Afghanistan, it's in Saudi Arabia, throughout the Middle-East in big numbers and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/we-have-to-fight-radical-islam-wherever-it-exists-it-s-in-afghanistan/)

[Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/)

> [It feels great that with the film choices I have been making have been quite radical and different. I am glad they are commercially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayushmann-khurrana/it-feels-great-that-with-the-film-choices-i-have-been-making-have/)

[Ayushmann Khurrana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayushmann-khurrana/)

> [I've been listening to 'Chapo Trap House' - they're quite radical. Every time I listen to it, my brain feels opened up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/i-ve-been-listening-to-chapo-trap-house-they-re-quite-radical-every/)

[Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/)

> [Everyone knows history is written by the winners, but that cliche misses a crucial detail: Over time, the winners are always the progressives. Conservatism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/everyone-knows-history-is-written-by-the-winners-but-that-cliche/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [“Any informed conservative is reluctant to condense profound and intricate intellectual systems to a few pretentious phrases; he prefers to leave that technique to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/any-informed-conservative-is-reluctant-to-condense-profound-and/)

[Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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 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/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. 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 aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/)

[William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/)

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

## More by Salman Rushdie

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

[Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More Conservatism quotes

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [“Conservatism aims to maintain in working order the loyalties of the community to perceived truths and also to those truths which in their judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr-2/conservatism-aims-to-maintain-in-working-order-the-loyalties-of-the/)

[William F. Buckley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr-2/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. 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. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effected by the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education, seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/social-and-cultural-change-however-desirable-should-not-be-effected/)

[Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/)

> [If Theresa May is big enough to admit her mistakes and put a kinder Conservatism into the heart of her government, she may survive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/if-theresa-may-is-big-enough-to-admit-her-mistakes-and-put-a-kinder/)

[Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/)

[Browse all 522 Conservatism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Salman Rushdie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-with-not-quite-so-radical/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conservatism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-with-not-quite-so-radical/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e54/salman-rushdie-153_conservatism_you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-wit_2832164.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.” — Salman Rushdie",
                "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": "Salman Rushdie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You don't fight radical conservatism with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-with-not-quite-so-radical/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-don-t-fight-radical-conservatism-with-not-quite-so-radical/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```