So many remarkable encomia appeared within hours of Bill Buckley's death yesterday that we dare not try to rival them for appreciation of his wit, his erudition and personal charm, his generosity of spirit and peerless sense of humor, his intellectual versatility, his amazing vocabulary or his enormous and lasting place in contemporary American conservatism. I didn't always agree with him, but from God and Man at Yale through well-wrought thrillers and spy stories, but above all through his era-defining magazine and the influential website that it spawned, Bill Buckley left a deep and lasting imprint on millions of individuals and on American society, letters, ideas, and politics. We mourn his passing. --Chester E. Finn, Jr.
William F. Buckley Jr. is for me, and, I suppose, especially for other conservatives of tender age, a hero. One could not craft a better role model and guide for young people dissatisfied with leftward-tilting policies and groping for something better. WFB gave conservatism fresh appeal with his clear-thinking, wit, and charm. His boundless energy and productivity, his sharp and incisive writing (wonderful writing), his joie de vivre (sailing, skiing, traveling--and doing it all in the company of the assorted world leaders, bestselling authors, and famous musicians he called friends), his committed faith, and most of all his unfailing kindness are an inspiration. His was a way to aspire to live. I am deeply sorry that the adventures and all the fun had, finally, to come to a close. RIP. --Liam Julian