Definitions: (1) inclined to preserve the existing order of things; traditional; (2) marked by moderate or cautious attitudes; safe; (3) a wise melding of the best from the past with the most promising of the future; prudent; (4) protect or maintained in its original state; a preservationist
Derivation: Late Middle English, “to keep safe from harm”
Balancing Qualities: Flexible, Liberal, Open
Too Far: afraid, closed
Familial Quality: kaitiakitanga <trusteeship or guardianship of the physical environment> — Māori
Quotes:
• The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution. — Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American historian
• You can’t conserve what you haven’t got. — Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890–1998) American author, women’s suffrage advocate, & conservationist