William F. Buckley Jr. Has Died

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that my favorite and perhaps only William F. Buckley Jr. quote is when he said "Life can't be all bad when for ten dollars you can buy all the Beethoven sonatas and listen to them for ten years. " While the quote itself has little or nothing to do with the great man's life long vocation of promoting conservatism, it contains something rarer than brilliant political acumen for which he is so fondly remembered. There, in brief, is truth and beauty and the appreciation of both. There are those who will tell you that we live in dour times, that there has been nothing to be proud of, that we are surrounded by ugliness. William F. Buckley Jr. knew better. We live in the best possible time and in the best possible place, if we have the wisdom, courage and strength to make it so. It begins with knowing that despite whatever else may plague you, there are beautiful things readily available to assuage and lift you.