Which is the most conservative motto: Quebec's "Je me souviens" ("I remember") or New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die"?

Despite reservations about a conservative motto being in French, Quebec's is definitely more conservative. In fact, I'm not sure New Hampshire's motto is distinctly conservative at all. It could have equally been the motto of the French Revolution (see, the French are suspect), and nobody would think to call the revolutionaries "conservative."

It depends what kind of conservative... Conservatives respect tradition, but America is about freedom. And conservatives want to preserve the freedom enshrined in the Constitution from the American revolution. In that respect, we are unique among conservatives.

Since conservatism is, as the name indicates, about conserving tradition, Je me souviens is far more conservative. I don't find anything particularly conservative about Live Free or Die. It seems to be more libertarian than anything.

Well, I dunno...I was always partial to "The Bitch Set Me Up!". Of course, that would have been DC's motto had it ever achieved statehood.

I'm with ralph and ben-t

Live free or die is more conservative.

They'll be changing that motto soon as a 'used to be' because southern New Hampshire is now resembling northern Massachusetts due to the transplants.

Beats me why people will move from one area because of liberal politics and high taxes/cost of living and then once there, try to change the place from what it was to what they knew.

I think it is wrong, and misguided, to make us choose.

Conservatism can't be defined either purely procedurally ("it is about conserving things"), or purely content-wise ("it is about maximizing freedom"). In fact, conservatism resists the drive to condense every political principle and stance down into an ideology, a la rationalism. So why should we choose one slogan and base all our politics on it?

Conservatism recognizes that PRUDENCE (not just smarts or correct doctrine) is needed in politics. Prudence recognizes what has been good and how we can PRESERVE/adapt it even as times change. Now, prudent people in our political tradition can see that what has worked especially well is political and economic LIBERTY (the rule of law, private property laws, limited government, lower taxes, structural affirmation of private inititive, etc.) and a cultural affirmation of traditional Christian morality and personal responsibility (in some case this job of culture has been bulstered by government).

Now simplifying minds see this as too much to handle. They want a slogan and a rarified doctrine to encapsulate every political position. This is too complex, not rationalized enough, and real intellectuals are simple-minded in their politics, it seems (they call this "principle"). But (and this is the very heart of conservatism) such a desire for a simple doctrine is wrong, because it implicitly denies the role of prudence in politics.

Together we can!!!

(grow nanny state government)

Together we can!!!

(spent your money and raise taxes)

Together we can!!!

(socialize medicine)

Together we can!!!

(push more affirmative action)

Together we can!!!

(legitimize illegal immigrants)

Together we can!!!

(keep the borders open)