"Conservatives define themselves in terms of what they oppose"

This quote by George Will recommends that conservatives tend to define themselves by what they protest, instead of what they are for. This implies that conservatives are more concentrated on opposing particular concepts or policies, rather than proposing their own. This could be seen in the manner in which conservatives frequently oppose progressive policies, such as those associated to social justice, immigration, and environment modification. It could likewise be seen in the way that conservatives frequently oppose certain cultural patterns, such as the rise of secularism and the approval of LGBTQ+ rights. This quote recommends that conservatives are more focused on opposing certain ideas than on proposing their own, which might be seen as a constraint of their political ideology.