--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What drew me to conservatism years ago…" description: "\"What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue. This meant it could not be subverted ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/shelby-steele-3370_character_what-drew-me-to-conservatism-years-ago-w_824470.png" --- # What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that… ![“What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue. This meant it could not be subverted by passing notions of the good.” quote by Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/shelby-steele-3370_character_what-drew-me-to-conservatism-years-ago-w_824470.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/shelby-steele-3370_character_what-drew-me-to-conservatism-years-ago-w_824470.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/shelby-steele-3370_character_what-drew-me-to-conservatism-years-ago-w_824470.png) > “What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue. This meant it could not be subverted by passing notions of the good.” [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conservatism values discipline over abstract virtue, making it resistant to fleeting moral trends. **In simple terms:** Discipline outranks virtue in conservatism. Key Takeaway Prioritize disciplined habits. Themes politics philosophy morality Mood thoughtful critical Type ideological philosophical When to use this quote - political debates - personal ethics - policy making Key Concepts conservatism discipline virtue social stability Questions to Reflect On - How does discipline limit moral growth? - When is virtue more effective than discipline? A Different Perspective Discipline can become rigid, stifling flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or being an adventurer and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classical-sense-for-men-it-always/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [It was as if my father had given me, by way of temperament, an impossibly wild, dark, and unbroken horse. It was a horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-was-as-if-my-father-had-given-me-by-way-of-temperament-an/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [My mother gave me the discipline to follow my dreams. You know: you can do what you want as long as you put your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/my-mother-gave-me-the-discipline-to-follow-my-dreams-you-know-you-can/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) > [My father gave me discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/my-father-gave-me-discipline/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [Without boxing, because of my neighborhoods, who knows what would have happened to me. It was always about following the leader. 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