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“By destroying traditional social habits of the people, by dissolving their natural collective consciousness into individual constituents, by licensing the opinions of the most foolish, by substituting instruction for education, by encouraging cleverness rather than wisdom, the upstart rather than the qualified, by fostering a notion of getting on to which the alternative is a hopeless apathy, Liberalism can prepare the way for that which is its own negation: the artificial, mechanised or brutalised control which is a desperate remedy for its chaos.”
― Christianity and Culture
― Christianity and Culture
“In an egalitarian and democraticised society (in the broader sense of the term); in a society in which there are no longer any casts, functional organic classes or Orders; in a society in which ‘culture’ is standardised, extrinsic, utilitarian, and tradition is no longer a living, forming force; in a society in which Pindar’s ‘be thyself’ has become but a meaningless phrase;19 in a society in which character amounts to a luxury that only fools can afford, whereas inner weakness is the norm; in a society, finally, in which whatever lies above racial, ethnic and national difference has been replaced by what effectively lies below all this and which, therefore, has a shapeless and hybrid character — in such a society, forces are at work that in the long run are bound to influence the very constitution of individuals, thus affecting everything typical and differentiated, even in the psycho-physical field.”
― The Bow and the Club
― The Bow and the Club
“Russian bolshevism, replacing eastern Christendom by the grim religiosity of Marx, produced a caricature of the evangelical counsels with many a diabolical aspect. There is a good deal of “communism” in monasteries and convents, yet this is based upon a voluntary renunciation of perfect human rights. On account of our free will we can make supreme sacrifices which ennobles our very existence. Bolshevism on the other hand forces us brutally into a parody of monastic life amidst fellow monks and fellow nuns who hate their habit and sigh under the ferocious tyranny of their pseudo-abbot. This evil distortion of an otherwise Christian ideal is more satanic than wanton, a thoroughly pagan and diabolic opposition to Christian existence. This explains also the reason why the Vatican has found stronger words against “altruistic” bolshevism than against egoistic capitalism”
― The Menace of The Herd: Or, Procrustes at Large
― The Menace of The Herd: Or, Procrustes at Large
“...the real way of vanquishing scruples is to leave those who have them nothing to lose.”
― Les Liaisons dangereuses
― Les Liaisons dangereuses
“What I have called Appreciative love is no basic element in Affection. It usually needs absence or bereavement to set us praising those to whom only Affection binds us. We take them for granted: and this taking for granted, which is an outrage in erotic love, is here right and proper up to a point. It fits the comfortable, quiet nature of the feeling. Affection would not be affection if it was loudly and frequently expressed; to produce it in public is like getting your household furniture out for a move. It did very well in its place, but it looks shabby or tawdry or grotesque in the sunshine.”
― The Four Loves: A captivating journey through the different forms of love
― The Four Loves: A captivating journey through the different forms of love
LS Healthy Reads Book Club
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— last activity Sep 01, 2017 06:14AM
LIVESTRONG.COM's Healthy Reads Book Club is an interactive reading group that serves as a platform for learning and discussing all things wellness. ...more
Conservative Mentors
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— last activity Jul 30, 2026 09:55AM
This group is for Conservative book lovers who want to join other Conservative book lovers in sharing book suggestions and mentoring young people to s ...more
Classics and the Western Canon
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— last activity 19 hours, 22 min ago
This is a group to read and discuss those books generally referred to as “the classics” or “the Western canon.” Books which have shaped Western though ...more
Russia
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— last activity Jun 22, 2026 04:38PM
Readers from Russia. Группа для читателей из России на Goodreads.
Political Philosophy and Ethics
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Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
Vilena’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Vilena’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Classics, Crime, Horror, Humor and Comedy, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Non-fiction, Paranormal, Science fiction, Suspense, Spirituality, Sports, Thriller, cult-classics, personal-development, dystopia, alternate-universe, health, nutrition, whodunit, legal-thriller, psychological-thriller, romantic-suspense, and lesbian-romance
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