It is one of the truisms of politics that a conservative is often enough a former liberal who has been 'mugged by reality.'

A conservative is a liberal who got mugged the night before.

If a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, a liberal is a conservative who's been arrested.

A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, and a libertarian is a conservative who's been indicted.

A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested. A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged.

The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.