"A reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards"

Franklin D. Roosevelt's quote is a metaphor comparing a reactionary to a somnambulist, or sleepwalker. By comparing a reactionary to a somnambulist, Roosevelt is suggesting that a reactionary is somebody who is stuck in the past and unable to move on. He is recommending that a reactionary is somebody who is blindly following outdated ideas and ideologies, and is not able to see the world as it is today. Roosevelt's quote indicates that a reactionary is somebody who is stuck in the past and is unable to progress, and is instead strolling backwards. This metaphor is a powerful method of communicating the idea that a reactionary is somebody who is stuck in the past and unable to move on.