By 'radical,' I understand one who goes too far; by 'conservative', one who does not go far enough; by 'reactionary', one who won't go at all.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
A radical generally meant a man who thought he could somehow pull up the root without affecting the flower. A conservative generally meant a man who wanted to conserve everything except his own reason for conserving anything.
He who does not see things in their depth should not call himself a radical.
The conservative who resists change is as valuable as the radical who proposes it.
Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
I wouldn't call it radical; I would call it enthusiasm for progress.
You don't fight radical conservatism with not-quite-so radical conservatism.
I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.
Radicals must be resilient, adaptable to shifting political circumstances, and sensitive enough to the process of action and reaction to avoid being trapped by their own tactics and forced to travel a road not of their choosing. In short, radicals must have a degree of control over the flow of events.
A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead.