“Social questions are the vital questions of today; they take the place of religion.”

Beatrice Webb in her diary in 1884, quoted in Gertrude Himmelfarb The De-moralization of Society

“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”

Archilochus, a 7th century BC Greek poet, quoted by Paul P. Streeton in Gerald M. Meier and Dudley Seers Pioneers in Development

“We are now getting to the point at which different beliefs about the universe lead to different behaviour. And it would seem, at first sight, very sensible to stop before we got there, and just carry on with those parts of morality that all sensible people agree about. But can we?”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

In my latest National Post column I say the “Gilets jaunes” in France have legitimate grievances. But unfortunately not legitimate solutions.

“No society can be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable. It is but equity, besides, that they who feed, cloath and lodge the whole body of the people, should have such a share of the produce of their own labour as to be themselves tolerably well fed, cloathed and lodged.”

Adam Smith, quoted in Lionel Robbins The Theory of Economic Policy in English Classical Political Economy

“Once abolish God, and the government becomes the God.”

G.K. Chesterton in “Christendom in Dublin” quoted by Noah Morey in Gilbert Magazine Vol. 8 #1 (September 2004)

“the Roman empire is afflicted rather than changed – a thing which has befallen it in other times also, before the name of Christ was heard, and it has been restored after such affliction – a thing which even in these times is not to be despaired of.”

Augustine City of God