Alistair Cooke, (1908-2004) [Alfred Cooke] British-American writer,journalist, television personality, radio broadcaster Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-3] of 3 Alistair Cooke quotesAlistair Cooke QuotesAlistair Cooke As for the rage to believe that we have found the secret of liberty in general permissiveness from the cradle on, this seems to me a disastrous sentimentality, which, whatever liberties it sets loose, loosens also the cement that alone can bind society into a stable compound -- a code of obeyed taboos. I can only recall the saying of a wise Frenchman that `liberty is the luxury of self-discipline.' Historically, those peoples that did not discipline themselves had discipline thrust on them from the outside. That is why the normal cycle in the life and death of great nations has been first a powerful tyranny broken by revolt, the enjoyment of liberty, the abuse of liberty -- and back to tyranny again. As I see it, in this country -- a land of the most persistent idealism and the blandest cynicism -- the race is on between its decadence and its vitality.~ Alistair Cooke Liberty is the luxury of self-discipline, that those nations historically who have failed to discipline themselves have had discipline imposed by others.~ Alistair Cooke America is a country in which I see the most persistant idealism and the blandest of cynicism and the race is on between its vitality and its decadence.~ Alistair Cooke Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print