Being a centrist doesn't necessarily mean being a moderate. A centrist is simply someone who borrows ideas from the left and the right. The terms "left" and "right" come from the French Revolution: the left was pro-revolution, pro-insurrection, pro-progress, pro-egalitarianism, and pro-democracy, while the right was anti-revolution, anti-insurrection, against radical changes, against egalitarianism, and against democracy.