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About this quote

What does it mean?
Progressives focus on making errors while conservatives focus on blocking corrections, creating a stalemate.
In plain terms
Progressives make mistakes, and conservatives stop you from fixing them.
What can you take from it?
Political identity can stall necessary corrections.

Where it applies

  • political debate
  • social reform discussions
  • critiquing policy

Putting it to work

  • analyze political stagnation
  • discuss policy reform
  • critique ideology

Questions to consider

  • How do we break political stalemates?
  • Is all progress prone to error?

Another view

It may oversimplify the actual goals of political movements.

More from Gilbert Keith Chesterton

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  2. These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own.

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  3. I believe what really happens in history is this: the old man is always wrong; and the young people are always wrong about what is wrong with him. The practica…

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