Marco Rubio Athens Speech: Lessons We Should Take — And Not Take

Marco Rubio’s speech last week in front of the Acropolis reminded conservatives one cannot conserve anything meaningful without remembrance and tradition. When conservatives forget, they become something other than conservatives.

“Athens gave us democracy,” the secretary of state reminded those gathered. “Plato and Aristotle gave us Western philosophy. Our ideas of law, of virtue, of citizenship, and republican government were shaped in the Greek city-states. Even much of our political vocabulary — words like democracy, tyranny, the word ‘politics’ itself — found its origins here.”

About the Author

Daniel J. Flynn

Daniel J. Flynn, the author of The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer, is an American Spectator senior editor, visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, and YouTuber @RightWingWilderness.

Featured Tags

Marco Rubio’s speech last week in front of the Acropolis reminded conservatives one cannot conserve anything meaningful without remembrance and tradition. When conservatives forget, they become something other than conservatives.

“Athens gave us democracy,” the secretary of state reminded those gathered. “Plato and Aristotle gave us Western philosophy. Our ideas of law, of virtue, of citizenship, and republican government were shaped in the Greek city-states. Even much of our political vocabulary — words like democracy, tyranny, the word ‘politics’ itself — found its origins here.”