W1035: Harry Browne - Even If You Don't Own a Gun
You are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun-owners than in one of disarmed citizens—even if you don't own a gun yourself. —Harry Browne
W1057: Jacob Hornberger - Statists and Their Beliefs
The cult of the omnipotent state has millions of followers in the United States. Americans of today view their government in the same way as Christians view their God; they worship and adore the state and they render their lives and fortunes to it. Statists believe that their lives—their very being—are a privilege that the state has given to them. They believe that everything they do is, and should be, dependent on the consent of the government. —Jacob Hornberger
W1451: Thomas Sowell - White Slaves Exceeded Black Slaves
Slavery has been a universal institution for thousands of years, as far back as you can trace human history. Yet we're looking at it as if slavery is something that happened to one race of people in one country, when in fact, the spread of it was around the world. For example, the number of whites who were enslaved in North Africa by the Barbary Pirates exceeded the number of Africans enslaved in the United States. —Thomas Sowell
W1450: Bob Murphy – Free to Argue for Any Viewpoint
People should be legally free to argue for any viewpoint, no matter how “obviously” false and even reprehensible, in order to protect society from being enslaved to a popular but untrue belief. ―Robert P. Murphy
W1449: Thomas Massie - Big Government vs. Big Business
The big difference between big government and big business is big government can take you to jail, or shoot you if you don't comply. —Thomas Massie
W1448: Shane Hazel - I'm Very Pro-Life
Personally, I'm very pro-life, but I don't think it's a good idea to take money through force and coercion to fund things that are against people's conscience whether they're pro-life or pro-choice. —Shane Hazel
W1447: Bob Murphy - Rent Control Creates Slumlords
If landlords can’t charge a market rate, they’ll cut corners to maintain profitability. Because rent controls encourage landlords to reduce their maintenance expenses, apartments in rent controlled areas aren’t painted as often, repairs aren’t made as quickly, graffiti doesn’t get erased as quickly, and the washer/dryers in the basement don’t get replaced when they break down. —Robert P. Murphy
W1446: Ayn Rand – If Capitalism Never Existed
If capitalism had never existed, any honest humanitarian should have been struggling to invent it. But when you see men struggling to evade its existence, to misrepresent its nature, and to destroy its last remnants—you may be sure that whatever their motives, love for man is not one of them. —Ayn Rand
W1445: Bob Murphy: Discrimination in the Free Market
If an employer has an opening that pays $50,000 in salary, and the Christian applicant will bring in $51,000 in extra revenue to the firm while the Muslim applicant will bring in $55,000, then to discriminate against the creed of the latter will cost the employer $4,000 in potential profits. Discrimination is automatically “fined” in the free market. — Bob Murphy
W1444: Johnny Adams - Censorship is About Control
Censorship is really about the state being afraid of the ideas of liberty; they're afraid that it might catch on and that they will lose all control. —Johnny Adams
W1443: Gene Epstein - The Evils of Capitalism
The evils of capitalism are simply the evils of social trends and the evils and the misdeeds of human beings. We are going to misbehave; there will be evil in the world. Capitalism is, by far, the best system for channeling human wishes and incentives into the best outcomes. —Gene Epstein
W1442: Ron Paul - The Most Evil of All Taxes
The most sinister of all taxes is inflation. When you create money out of thin air to pay the bills, the value of the dollar goes down, and the poor and the middle class get hit with a higher cost of living. It is the most evil of all taxes. —Ron Paul
W1441: Thomas Sowell - The Major Flaw in Politics
One of the big differences between economics and politics is that politicians are not forced to pay attention to future consequences that lie beyond the next election. An elected official whose policies keep the public happy up through election day stands a good chance of being voted another term in office, even if those policies will have ruinous consequences in later years. There is no “present value” to make political decision-makers today take future consequences into account, when those consequences will come after election day. —Thomas Sowell
W1440: Ludwig von Mises - The Worship of the State
The worship of the state is the worship of force. —Ludwig von Mises
W1439: Derek Wills – The Prohibition of Narcotics
The prohibition and control of narcotics have only led to even more detrimental consequences than before the state's involvement. —Derek Wills
W1438: Derek Wills – Liberty is the Right of the Individual
Liberty is the right of the individual to invoke sole dominion over their own life to act as they see fit, provided the act in and of itself does not directly infringe on the right of another individual to do the same. —Derek Wills, The Liberty Solution
W1437: Nick Freitas - If You Don't Agree with Them
If you don't agree with them on policy, you're a sexist, you're a bigot, or you're a racist. The moment they claim that, with no evidence, other than we don't agree... then they don't get to lecture us on compassion, tolerance, or open debate. —Nick Freitas
W1436: Thomas Sowell - The Political Left
Many on the political left are so entranced by the beauty of their vision that they cannot see the ugly reality they are creating in the real world. —Thomas Sowell
W1435: Dave Smith – Revolution of Freedom
End all of these awful organizations that are a disgrace to a professed free society. Let's give being a free country a shot. That's what we need right now. —Dave Smith
W1434: Walter Block - A Tax-Collecting Government
...to argue that a tax-collecting government can legitimately protect its citizens against aggression is to contradict oneself, since such an entity starts off the entire process by doing the very opposite of protecting those under its control. —Walter Block
W1433: Harry Browne - The First Casualty of War
It is well known that in war, the first casualty is truth — that during any war truth is forsaken for propaganda. —Harry Browne
W1432: Jack Lloyd - Wars and Evil Narcissists
Wars are orchestrated by evil narcissists living out their power fantasy delusions at the expense of the young and the poor. — Jack V. Lloyd
W1430: James Madison - The Instruments of Tyranny
The means of defense against foreign danger, have always been the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans, it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people. —James Madison
W1429: Smedley Butler - The Profits of War
War is a racket. Its profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. —Smedley Butler
W1428 - War Does Not Decide Who is Right
War does not decide who is right or who is wrong but simply who is left.
W1278: Murray Rothbard - The Power to Counterfeit Money
The government is the only institution in society with the power to counterfeit—to create new money. So long as it continues to use that power, we will continue to suffer from inflation. —Murray Rothbard
W1238: Angela McArdle - We're United by Suffering
We're all united by the suffering that is part of the human condition. We're divided by how we choose to deal with it. —Angela McArdle
W1344: Walter Williams – History is Not Going to Be Kind to Liberals
History is not going to be kind to liberals. With their mindless programs, they've managed to do to Black Americans what slavery, reconstruction, and rank racism found impossible: destroy their family and work ethic. —Walter Williams
W1427: Lysander Spooner - Money in the Hands of Government
Every man who puts money into the hands of a "government," puts into its hands a sword which will be used against himself, to extort more money from him, and also to keep him in subjection to its arbitrary will. —Lysander Spooner
W1426 – Smedley Butler – I Operated on 3 Continents
I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. —Smedley Butler, Major General, United States Marine Corps
W1425: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – A State of War
A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny. —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
W1043: Tom Woods - Stand Up to Propaganda
There are a lot that will generally cheer on the free-market. But how many are going to stand up to the entire regime, to its intellectuals, to its media, when the chips are down and the propaganda is flying? The number is vanishingly small. —Tom Woods
W1397: Mindy Robinson - Imagine Auditing the Fed
Imagine auditing the Federal Reserve? Wait till the masses realize their money has no value, that Congress is enslaving our future generations into paying their impossible-to-pay-off debt, and that our whole currency system is one big Ponzi scheme that’s about to collapse. —Mindy Robinson
W1259: Yeonmi Park - Guns are Very Important to Defend Against Corrupt Governments
Guns are dangerous, crime and accidents happen, but it's very important for people to have the ability to defend themselves from corrupt governments. —Yeonmi Park
W1215: Vince Vaughn - Governments Claim to Protect Us
Governments claim to write laws to protect us. A law for this, a law for that. But are they working? I don’t think so. ―Vince Vaughn
W1422: Jessica Sentman – The Rising Cost of Gas
The rising cost of gas is not isolated to a single president or party; it's a system of abuse, a deep con, and fraud. Both major parties play on your ignorance of economics that protect the scam and fuel useless infighting. — Jessica Leigh Sentman
W1382: Elon Musk – Wokeness is Divisive
At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue. —Elon Musk
W1424: Antony Davies - About Unintended Consequences
The thing about unintended consequences is it doesn't matter whether your intent is good, it doesn't matter whether the regulation that you're imposing is well thought out, it doesn't matter whether lots of people are in favor of the regulation. It is the fact that the coercion takes away from people their abilities to make decisions for themselves that causes the unintended consequence. —Antony Davies
W1423: Ludwig von Mises – Anarchism
Anarchism rejects all coercive social organizations, and repudiates coercion as a social technique. — Ludwig von Mises
W1373: Walter Block – Against Legalizing Drugs
It is sometimes argued that one of the benefits of legalizing addictive drugs is that they could be taxed, and the government revenues enhanced. From this perspective, this would be the only valid case against legalization. —Walter Block
W1058: Henry Hazlitt - Something Out of Nothing
The world is full of so-called economists who are full of schemes for getting something out of nothing. —Henry Hazlitt (Economics in One Lesson)
W1421: Lysander Spooner - Government and the Robber
The robber does not pretend to be anything but a robber. Furthermore, having taken your money, he leaves you, as you wish him to do. He does not persist in following you on the road, against your will; assuming to be your rightful "sovereign," on account of the "protection" he affords you.
He does not keep "protecting" you, by commanding you to bow down and serve him; by requiring you to do this, and forbidding you to do that; by robbing you of more money as often as he finds it for his interest or pleasure to do so; and by branding you as a rebel, a traitor, and an enemy to your country, and shooting you down without mercy, if you dispute his authority, or resist his demands. —Lysander Spooner
W1339: Thomas DiLorenzo – Working Just to Pay Taxes
Governments confiscate more than a third of all family income. Each year the average American taxpayer works 127 days, from January 1st until May 7th — just to pay taxes. —Thomas DiLorenzo
W1420: Lysander Spooner - Nothing in the Constitution
There is nothing in the Constitution that professes or attempts to bind the posterity of those who established it. The question arises whether their posterity have bound themselves. —Lysander Spooner
W1419: Caitlin Johnstone - Being Anti-War
Everyone’s anti-war until the war propaganda starts. —Caitlin A. Johnstone
W1153: Walter Williams - Politicians Exploit Economic Illiteracy
Politicians exploit economic illiteracy. —Walter Williams
W1145: Chris Cole - Family Law Court
I’ve never felt more like a criminal than when I was fighting to be a Father to my own children in Family Law court. —Chris Cole
W1151: It Deserves to be Destroyed by the Truth
If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.
W1165: Tom Woods - The Civil War was Fought to Prevent Secession
The war was fought to prevent the secession, not to free the slaves. People who took up arms in the South did so because they were being invaded. —Tom Woods
W1120: Ron Paul - Imperfect Messenger
I’m an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect. —Ron Paul
W1111: John Stossel - Crisis and Fear
Crisis and Fear are the friends of the state. —John Stossel
W1044: Rose Wilder Lane - Ancient Superstition of Authority
So long as any large group of persons, anywhere on this earth, believe the ancient superstition that some Authority is responsible for their welfare, they will set up some image of that Authority and try to obey it. And the result will be poverty and war. —Rose Wilder Lane (The Discovery Of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority)
W1138: Raylene Lightheart - Reject the Cult of the Omnipotent State
Open your eyes… Anyone who encourages others to reject the State will be defamed, vilified, and ruined. Reject the cult of the omnipotent State. Be free. —Raylene Lightheart
W1060: Adam Kokesh - Surveillance and Control
The current extent of surveillance clearly shows there is another motive besides catching bad guys. Government surveillance is not about keeping us safe. It’s about keeping us under control. —Adam Kokesh
W1125: Michael Rectenwald - Totalitarian Moral Arrogance
The primary characteristic of totalitarian ideologues is essentially moral arrogance, a complete lack of moral humility, and the certain conviction that they themselves are justice incarnate. They thus believe that they are completely justified to exert their will to achieve their desired ends 'by any means necessary'. Such ideologues rejoiced when God was declared 'dead', as such, because now they could assume the authority of God for themselves. —Michael Rectenwald (Springtime for Snowflakes)
W1135: Spike Cohen - A Completely Different Way of Looking at Government
We're not just a third party, we're a completely different way of looking at how government interacts with the people. We believe that people do best when they are the most free. —Spike Cohen
W1161: Andrew Napolitano – Common Good vs. Your Natural Rights
No matter how well-intentioned these governors may be, no matter how sound their medical advice is, if the common good could trump your natural rights then they wouldn't be rights. —Judge Andrew Napolitano (Mises Institute, 13 July 2020)
W1136: Angela McArdle - What We Need to Do As Libertarians
[R]each deep into the soul of the average person and change them in a profound way. That’s what we need to do as libertarians. —Angela McArdle
W1073: John Stossel - Need, Greed, and Compassion
Need now means wanting someone else’s money. Greed means wanting to keep your own. Compassion is when a politician arranges the transfer. —John Stossel
W1039: Thomas Jefferson - Rightful Liberty
Rightful Liberty is unobstructed action according to our will, within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add “within the limits of the law,” because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual. —Thomas Jefferson
W1070: Luis Fernando Mises - The Goal is to Understand
Fear and hate come more often when we are ignorant. Therefore, the real enemy is not anger or evil, but ignorance. The goal is not to defeat or destroy but to understand. —Luis Fernando Mises
W1007: Jordan Peterson - What Marx Observed
What Marx observed was that capital tended to accumulate in the hands of fewer and fewer people. And he said that’s a flaw of the Capitalist system. That’s wrong, it’s not the flaw of the Capitalist system. It’s a feature of every single system that we know of, no matter who set it up and how it operates. —Jordan Peterson
W1037: Ron Paul - Free Market is Better
It’s amazing that people don’t understand that the more the market is involved and the smaller the government, the lower the price, the better the distribution, and the higher the quality. —Ron Paul
W1172: Milton Friedman - Lack of Belief in Freedom Itself
Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. —Milton Friedman
W1192: Caryn Ann Harlos - Make the Libertarian Party Libertarian Again
All they really mean by the takeover language is they want to re-radicalize the Libertarian Party and make it libertarian again. Let me tell you something… I sure hope that takeover happens in Reno. —Caryn Ann Harlos
W1176: Yeonmi Park - If You Don't Know You're a Slave
How do you fight to be free if you don't know you're a slave. —Yeonmi Park - In an interview with Jordan Peterson she said when she fled North Korea she didn’t even know what freedom was, she only wanted to leave because there was no food to eat.
W1163: Tom Woods - The Delusion of Keynesians
Keynesians think that you can take water from the deep end of the swimming, pump it into the shallow end of the swimming pool and somehow the water level of the swimming pool will rise. —Tom Woods
W1156: Frederic Bastiat - The State Lives at the Expense of Everyone
Everyone wants to live at the expense of the State. They forget that the State lives at the expense of everyone. —Frederic Bastiat
W1146: Thomas Sowell - Realize the Extent of Your Own Ignorance
It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance. —Thomas Sowell
W1049: Rose Wilder Lane - We Support the Government
People pull through hard times. What I can’t understand is, how can anybody figure that the government can support us, when we support the government. —Rose Wilder Lane (The Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority)
W1048: Ayn Rand - Smallest Minority on Earth
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. —Ayn Rand
W1149: Kerry McDonald: Industrial Model of Schooling Diminishes Curiosity
Children are natural learners. They are born with the drive to explore and synthesize their world. Their childhood curiosity and exuberance lead them to learn and discover, to make connections and deepen their knowledge, so that they may gain essential skills. This inclination to learn, along with a passion for discovery, does not magically disappear at a certain age. Our industrial model of schooling systematically diminishes a child’s natural curiosity and ability to self educate. —Kerry McDonald (Author: Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom)
W1173: Ron Paul - Overthrowing Tyrants is True Patriotism
Whether the resistance against government tyrants is non-violent or physically violent, the effort to overthrow state oppression qualifies as true patriotism. —Ron Paul
W1164: Tom Woods - State Monopoly of Power
If the federal government has the exclusive right to judge the extent of its own powers, warned the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions' authors (James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, respectively), it will continue to grow - regardless of elections, the separation of powers, and other much-touted limits on government power. —Tom Woods
W1166: Jordan Peterson - Stand up for Yourself
You pay a price for everything you do and everything you don’t do. So you might as well stand up for yourself. —Jordan Peterson
W1418: Edith Hamilton - Freedom from Responsibility
In the end, more than freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all — security, comfort, and freedom. When the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again. —Edith Hamilton
W1133: John Stossel – We Have to Change the Way We Think About Govt
Every time we call for the government to fix some problem, we accelerate the growth of government. If we do not change the way we think, we will end up socialists by default, even if no one calls us that. —John Stossel
W1154: Ayn Rand - When the Law No Longer Protects You
When the Law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you, you know your nation is doomed. —Ayn Rand
W1040: Harry Browne - Freedom Offers a Hundred Choices
Whatever the issue, let freedom offer us a hundred choices, instead of having government force one answer on everyone. —Harry Browne
W1124: Michael Rectenwald - Real Diversity
If we want to foster real diversity in higher education, we had better consider not only diversity of identity but also diversity of thought and perspective. It is this kind of diversity that we are supposed to recognize and foster in the first place. —Michael Rectenwald (Springtime for Snowflakes)
W1121: Jordan Peterson - Actually Do It
Many people have told me how I could've done it or said it better, although it didn't mean that they would actually do it. —Jordan Peterson
W1042: Julie Borowski - Rights
A right is not something someone gives you—it’s something that no one can take away. —Julie Borowski
W1171: Michael Boldin - Both Political Parties are Evil
The two major political parties are so filled to the brim with anti-constitution and ant-liberty sociopaths, that I don’t believe there is such a thing as a 'lesser of two evils.' They’re both thoroughly evil. —Michael Boldin (Tenth Amendment Center)
W1054: Andrew Napolitano - The Reason We Have Liberty
The only reason we have some liberty in this country is because we have radical minorities willing to agitate for personal freedom. —Judge Andrew Napolitano
W1179: Lew Rockwell - Democracy Enables Theft
Democracy has turned out to be not majority rule, but rule by well-organized and well-connected minority groups who steal from the majority. —Lew Rockwell
W1180: Walter Williams - Minimum Wage Laws are the Arsenal of Racists
Minimum-wage laws are one of the most powerful tools in the arsenal of racists. —Walter Williams
W1182: H.L. Mencken - The Average Man Simply Wants to be Safe
The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe. — H.L. Mencken
W1194: Hanlon's Razor - Adequately Explained by Stupidity
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. —Hanlon's Razor
W1197: Michael Badnarik - Libertarians Want Freedom
The Democrats and Republicans stand at two extremes, characterized by which parts of our lives they emphasize their desire to control. Libertarians reject both extremes in favor of the government leaving control of your life to you. —Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee 2004)
W1198: Steven Clyde - Their Next Bid for Re-Election
The point of no return, they [politicians] claim, will soon dawn on us unless politicians are granted unlimited power to meddle in the affairs of the citizenry. It just so happens that this needs to occur prior to, but no later than, their next bid for re-election. —Steven Clyde
W1051: Emma Goldman - Patriotism and Obedience
What a strange development of patriotism that turns a thinking being into a loyal machine. —Emma Goldman
W1045: Peter Schiff - Harder to Feed Yourself
The longer you eat for free the harder it is to feed yourself when the free food stops coming. —Peter Schiff
W1014: Ludwig Von Mises - Man's Fallibility
If one rejects laissez faire on account of man’s fallibility and moral weakness, one must for the same reason also reject every kind of government action. —Ludwig Von Mises
W1150: Kerry McDonald - Schools are Based on Obedience & Conformity
School socialization is based on an expectation of obedience, compliance, and conformity. It was about rule following. Learning was secondary. Exuberance was a liability. —Kerry McDonald (Author: Unschooled)
W1162: Tom Woods - The Stupid Party and The Evil Party
There are only two (major) parties today: The Stupid Party and The Evil Party. Once in a while the two parties get together to do something that is both stupid and evil, and that's called Bipartisanship. —Tom Woods
W1046: Angela MacArdle - We Need to Inspire
We don't have to be ordinary to appeal to ordinary people. We have to be extraordinary to inspire ordinary people. —Angela McArdle
W1024: Henry Hazlitt - The Illusion of More Milk
Printing money in place of real savings can create the illusion of more wealth. Just as the addition of water can create the illusion of more milk. —Henry Hazlitt
W1122: David Friedman - Drug-Induced Ecstasy
If the addict is willing to trade his health or his life for a few years, or months, or minutes of drug-induced ecstasy, that is his affair. Part of freedom is the right of each of us to go to hell in his own fashion. —David Friedman (The Machinery of Freedom)
W1199: Walter Williams - Tariff Victims are Invisible
Tariff policy beneficiaries are always visible, but its victims are mostly invisible. Politicians love this. The reason is simple: The beneficiaries know for whom to cast their ballots, and the victims don't know whom to blame for their calamity. —Walter Williams
W1201: F.A. Hayek - More Harm and Misery by Using Coercion
It is indeed probable that more harm and misery have been caused by men determined to use coercion to stamp out a moral evil than by men intent on doing evil. —F.A. Hayek
W1207: Tim Pool - Ron Paul Wants to Leave Me Alone
I remember the Ron Paul era and I didn't agree with a lot of his moral positions. But I did agree with him saying he wants to leave me alone.
I'll take the guy who's gonna leave me alone. Because we can disagree on everything, but then he agrees to leave me alone. I think that's great. —Tim Pool
W1208: Jack Lloyd - Theft and Murder is called "Public Policy"
When a gang member steals, it is called theft. When the mafia calls a hit, it is called murder. When a politician orders the same, it is called “Public Policy” —Jack Lloyd
W1209: Frederick Douglass - Freedom of Speech is the Dread of Tyrants
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. —Frederick Douglass
W1210: Milton Friedman - Nothing Holds a Candle to the Free Enterprise System
The record of history is absolutely crystal clear. There is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system. —Milton Friedman
W1417: Murray Rothbard - A History of Violence
The history of government is the history of violence, of the strong plundering the weak. Wicked tyrants engage in orgies of violence; being rulers they could give free rein to all their desires. —Murray Rothbard
W1416: Lew Rockwell – If You Don’t Value Truth
If you value your position and privileges more than truth, you will say what people want to hear rather than what needs to be said. —Lew Rockwell
W1409: Eric July - Persuade Someone
You can't use logic and reason to persuade someone away from a position that they didn't use logic and reason to get to. —Eric July
W1415: Hannah Cox – Strangling Capitalism
You can't strangle an industry with regulations, mandates, red tape, bureaucracy, and government control and then blame capitalism when it sucks. —Hannah Cox
W1414: Mindy Robinson - Safe and Effective
They censored us, banned us, and flagged every single post. They claimed it was “safe and effective,” but we were right about it not working or being safe the entire damn time. —Mindy Robinson
W1413: Frederic Bastiat - The Law Defends Plunder
Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons, and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim — when he defends himself — as a criminal. —Frederic Bastiat
W1412: Spike Cohen – Like Fish in a Barrel
Government will mandate that your children be left vulnerable like fish in a barrel in their school; hold you down outside while they are murdered, and then blame you for owning a rifle. —Spike Cohen
W1411: Jack Lloyd - Voting and Individual Consent
Voting cannot be a substitute for individual consent, as voting is forced upon all people whether they agree with having a vote in the first place or not. —Jack Lloyd, The Definitive Guide to Libertarian Voluntaryism
W1410: Shawn Hickman - Racists are Collectivists
Not all collectivists are racists, but all racists are collectivists. —Shawn Hickman
W1408: Hans-Hermann Hoppe – The State
The State dirties and taints everything it touches. Run by gangs of murderers, plunderers, and thieves, surrounded by willing executioners and propagandists. —Hans-Hermann Hoppe
W1407: Dave Benner - States Must Secede
For liberty to succeed, the states must secede. —Dave Benner, Author: Compact of the Republic
W1183: Jordan Peterson - The Most Potent Anti-Authoritarian Action
The most potent anti-authoritarian action is to tell the truth. —Jordan Peterson
W1137: Caryn Ann Harlos - Don't Sell Your Principles for Fickle Votes
There is something wrong with treating libertarian principles like a cheap whore to be sold for fickle votes. —Caryn Ann Harlos
W1205: Ron Paul - Maybe I Will Have My Way Someday
I think that's why a group like this is so important because what you're doing is you're changing perceptions. Groups like this did not exist 20 and 30 years ago, so therefore maybe I will have my way someday. —Ron Paul (To Libertarians, 1983)
W1200: Lew Rockwell - Truth Needs Champions
We like to imagine that in history, truth will prevail through sheer persuasive power. Sadly, this is not the case. Truth needs champions... —Lew Rockwell
W1196: Peter Schiff - Robbing Citizens of Their Purchasing Power
Printing money is merely taxation in another form. Rather than robbing citizens of their money, government robs their money of its purchasing power. —Peter Schiff
W1195: Lew Rockwell - Most Urgent Priority is Separation of Economy and State
Among the most urgent political priorities of our age is the separation of economy and state. —Lew Rockwell
W1193: Peter Schiff - Minimum Wage Laws Make it Harder to Find Work
Minimum wage laws make it illegal for a worker to accept a job that pays less, even if the worker needs that job. —Peter Schiff
W1191: Joshua Smith - Take the Libertarian Party Viral
I will stop at no less than taking the Libertarian Party viral with the right messaging. —Joshua Smith
W1190: Joshua Smith - Show Them that Our Policies will Enrich Their Lives
There are two things that bring people to the ballot box. Hope and Change. We've got to get in the face of the public and show them that our policies will enrich their lives. —Joshua Smith
W1189: Ron Paul - How Black Markets Work
Prohibiting something that is highly desired does not make the desire go away but merely ensures that the supply of that good is provided in the most dangerous and undesirable manner possible, and endows criminal sectors of society with additional wealth and power. —Ron Paul (The Revolution: A Manifesto)
W1185: Jack Lloyd - If You Must Ask for Permission
If you must ask for permission, it isn’t a right. It’s a privilege. And if you take a look around, every single pursuit that is supposed to be a fundamental right has been taken from us and turned to a subservient “license” or “permit.” —Jack Lloyd
W1178: Michael Badnarik - I Am a Very Peaceful Man
I am a very peaceful man. I love people and I am known for my gregarious personality. However, if you try to confiscate my guns, I will feel compelled to give them to you, one bullet at a time. —Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party Presidential Nominee 2004)
W1177: Jordan Peterson - In Regards to Universities
We were supposed to be educating young people. We're supposed to be teaching that freedom is not always there, that it's fragile, and you better take care of it. —Jordan Peterson
W1170: Pericles - Interest in Politics
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. —Pericles
W1169: Clint Eastwood - I'm not really conservative
I'm not really conservative. I'm conservative on certain things. I believe in less government. I believe in fiscal responsibility and all those things that maybe Republicans used to believe in but don't any more. —Clint Eastwood
W1168: Ludwig von Mises: The First Job of an Economist
The first job of an economist is to tell governments what they cannot do. —Ludwig von Mises
W1129: Spike Cohen – Liberty is Not Fringe
To those who say Libertarianism is a fringe ideology: There is nothing fringe about wanting control over your own lives and money. —Spike Cohen
W1128: Ludwig von Mises - Tyranny of Thought
Liberty is meaningless if it is only the liberty to agree with those in power. —Ludwig von Mises
W1127: Ludwig von Mises - Mass Unemployment
Depressions and mass unemployment are not caused by the free market but by government interference in the economy. —Ludwig von Mises (The Theory of Money and Credit)
W1123: Justin Amash - Principles Matter
Don't let people convince you that principles only matter when the outcome is in your favor. Principles matter especially, and really only when the outcome is not in your favor. —Justin Amash
W1118: Antony Davies - Civil Asset Forfeiture
More Americans lose their property to police in the form of Civil Asset Forfeiture than they do to criminals. — Antony Davies (Cooperation & Coercion)
W1116: Harriet Tubman - Liberty or Death
I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other. —Harriet Tubman
W1115: Andrew Napolitano - Do-gooders and Busybodies
The do-gooders and busybodies of the world get themselves elected in government so that they can tell the rest of us how to live. — Judge Andrew Napolitano (Mises Institute, 13 July 2020)
W1114: Scott Horton - We Love Liberty
We love Liberty... and we are here because we hate injustice, we are here to save mankind —Scott Horton
W1112: Larken Rose - Belief in Authority
I'm not scared of the Maos and the Stalins and the Hitlers. I'm scared of the thousands of millions of people that hallucinate them to be "authority", and so do their bidding, and pay for their empires, and carry out their orders. I don't care if there's one looney with a stupid moustache. He's not a threat if the people do not believe in "authority". —Larken Rose
W1074: Josh Tolley - Socialists in Politics and Academia
Socialists in Politics and Academia are convincing the emotionally compromised that the highest standard of living in history is akin to 1800’s poverty, and they must sacrifice their potential greatness for the suffocating mediocracy of socialism. —Josh Tolley (The Josh Tolley Show)
W1069: Luis Fernando Mises - Change Comes from Within
The idea is not to beat the government directly. That is almost impossible... But to do enough inner work that power-hungry mentalities disappear on their own. —Luis Fernando Mises
W1065: David Friedman - Share in Someone's Wealth
I see no reason better than greed for claiming that I 'deserve' a share of someone else's wealth, which I have had no part in producing. —David Friedman (The Machinery of Freedom)
W1025: Thomas Sowell - Ivy League Degrees
The road to hell is paved with ivy league degrees. —Thomas Sowell
W1018: Ron Paul - When Terrible Things Happen
Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen. —Ron Paul
W1015: Thomas Sowell - Greed is Unattractive
However unattractive greed may be, it is likely to move food and resources much faster, saving more lives. —Thomas Sowell
W1012: Ludwig von Mises - Government Makes Man Poorer
Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer. —Ludwig von Mises
W1009: Ludwig von Mises - Economic History
Economic history is a long record of government policies that failed because they were designed with a bold disregard for the laws of economics. —Ludwig von Mises
W1008: C.S. Lewis – Moral Busybodies
A tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. —C.S. Lewis
W1211: Ludwig von Mises - Economics Deals with Fundamental Problems
Economics deals with society's fundamental problems; it concerns everyone and belongs to all. It is the main and proper study of every citizen. —Ludwig von Mises
W1212: Martin Luther King - There Comes a Time When Silence is Betrayal
There comes a time when silence is betrayal. There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. —Martin Luther King
W1213: Michael Malice – The Illusion of Choice
People will say with a straight face that having one choice for dear leader is tyranny – but having two is freedom. ―Michael Malice
W1214: Lord Acton - Liberty is the Prevention of Control by Others
Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control, education, knowledge, and well-being. —Lord Acton
W1217: Bob Murphy - You're Not Helping
You don't help a depressed economy by giving control of its resources to politicians. —Bob Murphy
W1216: Vince Vaughn - I was Blown Away to Learn About the Federal Reserve
I was really blown away when I learned that the Federal Reserve was private and that the government had no kind of oversight over it. That's what led me to learn about FDR's confiscation of gold and Nixon taking us off the Gold Standard and it was really mind blowing.
—Vince Vaughn (Tom Woods Show Ep. 1470)
W1218: Julian Assange - Real Journalism
In the history of Wikileaks, nobody has claimed that the material being put out is not authentic. —Julian Assange
W1219: Mary Ruwart - Punishing Flag Burning
You believe that flag burning shows disrespect towards those who have fought to preserve our freedoms. Punishing protestors shows an even more profound disrespect for the ideals that these people died for. An intact flag is worthless if it no longer stands for freedom. A flag burned to ashes challenges us to remember just exactly what freedom is. ―Mary Ruwart
W1220: Spike Cohen - If a Sizeable Minority Refuses to Comply
If even a sizeable minority simply refuses to comply, the order becomes unenforceable, and eventually gets repealed. We saw this with mask mandates in many places across the US, where they were ignored by a few, then by many, then by almost everyone, then were repealed. —Spike Cohen (Libertarian Party Vice-Presidential Candidate 2020)
W1221: Friedrich Hayek - Those Who Surrender Freedom for Security
Those who are willing to surrender their freedom for security have always demanded that if they give up their full freedom it should also be taken from those not prepared to do so. —Friedrich Hayek
W1222: Matt Kibbe - You Can't Tax Your Way to Prosperity
You can’t tax your way to a balanced budget without tanking the job creation that actually generates tax receipts. —Matt Kibbe
W1223: Glenn Jacobs - Taxation is Theft
The whole idea, the whole premise of taxation needs to be examined, it's based on theft. —Glenn Jacobs, Knox County Mayor
W1224: Rob Schneider - Real Diversity Not Intolerance
When you hear people say they want diversity, remember there must be no exceptions. Their diversity must include diversity of thought, of ideas, and of opinion. Otherwise the defining principle of their ‘diversity’ is intolerance. —Rob Schneider
W1225: Rob Schneider - The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality
As America dips its toe even further into an age of intolerance and the suppression of individual liberties and freedom of expression, it serves one well to read The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises. —Rob Schneider
W1226: Jeff Deist – The Better Tactical Approach
I think that from a tactical, long-term perspective that the more principled, the more radical libertarianism is, the better chance it has of ultimate success. —Jeff Deist, President, Mises Institute
W1227: Jeff Deist – We Have to Win Hearts and Minds
Until we win hearts and minds, it scarcely matters whom we elect, what bill gets passed, or how we arrange our personal and professional lives. The same statist mentality will surface time and time again. —Jeff Deist, President, Mises Institute
W1228: Kerry Mcdonald - Natural Learning vs. School Learning
[I]t really speaks to the difference between natural learning and school learning. No matter how wonderful the teachers are or how thoughtful the curriculum is, it’s still someone else’s ideas around what a child should know, versus a child asking their own questions, pursuing their own interests, and moving along a path that’s meaningful to them. —Kerry McDonald, Author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom
W1229: Peter Schiff - The Housing Market is on Fire
The housing market is on fire, we have price increases that dwarf any previous records during the housing bubble that popped in 2008. —Peter Schiff, July 29, 2021
W1230: Tom Woods - Government Takes Credit for the Private Sector
Government has a habit of blaming the private sector for its own failings while taking credit for advances we in fact owe to the private sector. —Tom Woods
W1232: Vince Vaughn - As You Get Older You Trust the Government Less
I think that as you get older you just trust the government less at running anything. —Vince Vaughn
W1233: Yeonmi Park - Individual Liberty is a Beautiful Thing
Individual liberty is everything in order to fulfill our own unique potential as individuals. We are equal but not the same, and that is a beautiful thing. —Yeonmi Park
W1235: Walter Williams - Draw a Line in the Sand
If we care about our remaining liberties we must at some point draw a line in the sand and let politicians and bureaucrats know we will not tolerate further encroachment on our liberty. —Walter Williams
W1236: The Pholosopher - You Are Being Lied To
You are being lied to by the government. Thanks to declassified documents you can confirm for yourself how much the government lies—from the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment to MKULTRA, to what's being pushed on TV today. —The Pholosopher
W1237: Walter Williams - Legality Does Not Justify Crimes
How does something immoral, when done privately, become moral when it is done collectively? Furthermore, does legality establish morality? Slavery was legal; apartheid is legal; Stalinist, Nazi, and Maoist purges were legal. Clearly, the fact of legality does not justify these crimes. Legality, alone, cannot be the talisman of moral people. —Walter Williams
W1239: H.L. Mencken - Free Spirits in a Cage
There are, to be sure, free spirits in the world, but their freedom, in the last analysis, is not much greater than that of a canary in a cage. They may leap from perch to perch; they may bathe and guzzle at their will; they may flap their wings and sing. But they are still in the cage… Democracy provides swarms of such men. —H.L. Mencken
W1240: Yeonmi Park - These Companies Don't Really Care About Social Justice
All these companies talking about social justice… but they're not talking about North Korea or Hong Kong because they don't want to offend China. They don't care, none of them do, it's all a lie. —Yeonmi Park
W1241: Kalish Morrow - Self-Ownership is a Beautiful Idea
At the core of Libertarian philosophy, self-ownership is a beautiful yet complex and scary idea that has fallen to the wayside in today’s culture of entitlements, victimhood, and blame. We must hold ourselves accountable. —Kalish Morrow
W1242: Larry Sharpe - Hemp Should Be Regulated Like Onions
Hemp and marijuana should be regulated like onions. If you can grow onion in your backyard, you can grow hemp or weed in your backyard. —Larry Sharpe
W1243: Murray Rothbard - Conscription is Slavery and Taxation is Robbery
The libertarian insists that whether or not such practices are supported by the majority of the population… War is Mass Murder, Conscription is Slavery, and Taxation is Robbery —Murray Rothbard
W1244: Murray Rothbard - The State is an Illegitimate Institution
The State is an inherently illegitimate institution of organized aggression against the persons and properties of its subject. Rather than necessary to society… it lives parasitically off of the productive activities of private citizens. —Murray Rothbard
W1246: Murray Rothbard - Only Through Rational Persuasion, Not Violence
Men can become more moral only through rational persuasion, not through violence, which will, in fact, have the opposite effect. —Murray Rothbard
W1247: Murray Rothbard - Taking Wealth by Force is Not Charity
It is hardly “charity” to take wealth by force and hand it over to someone else. Indeed, this is the direct opposite of charity… Compulsory confiscation can only deaden charitable desires completely, as the wealthier grumble that there is no point in giving to charity when the State has already taken on the task. —Murray Rothbard
W1249: Murray Rothbard - It is No Crime to be Ignorant of Economics
It is no crime to be ignorant of economics, which is, after all, a specialized discipline and one that most people consider to be a ‘dismal science.’ But it is totally irresponsible to have a loud and vociferous opinion on economic subjects while remaining in this state of ignorance. —Murray Rothbard
W1250: Murray Rothbard - War Increases State Power
It is in war that the State really comes into its own: swelling in power, in number, in pride, in absolute dominion over the economy and the society. —Murray Rothbard
W1251: Murray Rothbard - Taxation is Theft
Taxation is theft, purely and simply, even though it is theft on a grand and colossal scale which no acknowledged criminals could hope to match. It is a compulsory seizure of the property of the State’s inhabitants, or subjects.— Murray Rothbard
W1252: Murray Rothbard - Liberty is a Revolutionary Concept
Liberty is a profoundly revolutionary concept and it can only be achieved through the liquidation of the oppressor State. —Murray Rothbard
W1254: Yeonmi Park - They Expect Me to Be a Victim
They expect me to be a victim. Well, I'm not a victim, I'm very grateful. There are two things that I'm grateful for — that I was born in North Korea and that I escaped. —Yeonmi Park
W1255: Ron Paul - Should We Leave Afghanistan?
Should we leave Afghanistan? I think the answer is very clear. And it's not complicated. Of course we should, as soon as we can. If we don't, we'll be there for another decade. —Ron Paul
W1256: Ron Paul - Rejection of the Initiation of Violence
The most important element of a free society, where individual rights are held in the highest esteem, is the rejection of the initiation of violence. —Ron Paul
W1257: Ron Paul - Intellectual Revolution is Happening
Believe me, the intellectual revolution is going on, and that has to come first before you see the political changes. —Ron Paul
W1258: Murray Rothbard - The Abolitionist is a Button Pusher
The abolitionist is a "button pusher" who would blister his thumb pushing a button that would abolish the State immediately if such a button existed. But the abolitionist also knows that alas, such a button does not exist and that he will take a bit of the loaf if necessary — while always preferring the whole loaf if he can achieve it. —Murray Rothbard
W1261: Eric July - If You Advocate for Mandates...
In my show I make it abundantly clear that if you advocate for a government vaccine mandate you are a piece of shit. —Eric July (For Canon Sake with Eric July - 04 Sept 2021)
W1262: Murray Rothbard - The Right-Wing Honeyed Words
I grew up a right-winger, and became more intensely a libertarian rightist as I grew older. How come I am an exile from the Right-wing, while the conservative movement is being run by a gaggle of ex-Communists and monarchists? What kind of a conservative movement is this? This kind: one that you have no business being in. I got out of the Right-wing not because I ceased believing in liberty, but because being a libertarian above all, I came to see that the Right-wing specialized in cloaking its authoritarian and neo-fascist policies in the honeyed words of libertarian rhetoric. —Murray Rothbard
W1263: Edward Snowden - Don't Stay Safe. Stay Free.
Don't stay safe. Stay free. —Edward Snowden
W1264: Patrick Bet-David - Capitalism Reveals Everything
Capitalism reveals everything.
It reveals who works.
It reveals who improves.
It reveals who takes care of their best employees and who doesn’t.
It reveals who’s creative.
It reveals who thinks the biggest.
It reveals who doesn’t want to pull their own little red wagon instead they want you to pull it.
—Patrick Bet-David
W1265: John Stossel - People Are Not Comfortable with Freedom
People are not comfortable with freedom. They're scared, they're worried that if people can do whatever they want, the rich will abuse the poor, the strong will abuse the weak. It's just easier to believe that if you elect wise people who want to help, that it will be better. But it doesn’t help.
Once I learned [libertarianism] it was just clear to me, but most people will never either spend the time to learn it or they can't learn it. —John Stossel
W1266: Antony Sammeroff - Every Bomb is a 9/11 to Someone
Every bomb that fell in the Middle East was a 9/11 to someone. —Antony Sammeroff
W1267: Walter Williams – The Poor are Getting Richer
As early as 2010, 43% of all poor households owned their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage and a porch or patio. Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. The typical poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other cities throughout Europe. Ninety-seven percent of poor households have one or more color televisions — half of which are connected to cable, satellite or a streaming service. Some 82% of poor families have one or more smartphones. Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher. Most poor families have a car or truck and 43% own two or more vehicles. —Walter Williams
W1268: Scott Horton - The Horror Version of Libertarianism
Liberalism is the horror movie version of libertarianism. —Scott Horton
W1269: Tim Pool – Lies of the Establishment
Fauci will be one of the greatest tools in waking people up to the lies of the establishment. —Tim Pool
W1270: Michael Malice - No-Knock Raids on Peaceful Citizens
Any officer who executes a no-knock raid on peaceful citizens should be treated with complete hatred & contempt by civilized people. —Michael Malice
W1271: John Adams - Ignorance of the Nature of Coin and Credit
All the perplexities, confusions, and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from a want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation. —John Adams
W1272: David Boaz - Libertarianism and Socialism
The difference between libertarianism and socialism is that libertarians will tolerate the existence of a socialist community, but socialists can’t tolerate a libertarian community. —David Boaz
W1273: Walter Block - Libertarianism is Neither Left nor Right
Libertarianism is neither of the left nor of the right. It is unique. It is sui generis. It is apart from left and right. The left-right political spectrum simply has no room for libertarianism. Think of an equilateral triangle, with libertarianism at one corner, the left at a second corner and the right at the third corner. We are equally distant from both of those misbegotten political economic philosophies. No, better yet, think in terms of an isosceles triangle, with us at the top and the two of them at the bottom, indicating they have more in common with each other than with us. —Walter Block
W1274: Michael Rectenwald - Vaccine Passport Marks the End of Free Society
The vaccine passport marks the end of a free society. —Michael Rectenwald
W1275: Albert Camus - The Alibi of Tyrants
The welfare of the people has always been the alibi of tyrants. —Albert Camus
W1276: Ron Paul - A Nation Ripe for Total Tyranny
A nation of people who just do what they are told by the 'experts' without question is a nation ripe for a descent into total tyranny. —Ron Paul
W1277: Yeonmi Park - Our Biggest Threat is Government
Nothing has been more dangerous to individuals than government. Our biggest threat is government. —Yeonmi Park
W1281: Henry Hazlitt - Government-Provided Free Tuition
Government-provided free tuition tends more and more to produce a uniform conformist education, with college faculties ultimately dependent for their jobs on the government, and so developing an economic interest in the profession and teaching a statist, pro-government, and socialist ideology. —Henry Hazlitt
W1282: Jordan Peterson - My Rights and Your Emergency
My rights will not be subject to your emergency. —Jordan Peterson
W1283: Stephan Kinsella - The Consistent Libertarian is an Anarchist
Because the state necessarily commits aggression, the consistent libertarian, in opposing aggression, is also an anarchist. —Stephan Kinsella
W1284: Henry George - What Protectionism Teaches Us
What protectionism teaches us is to do to ourselves in times of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war. —Henry George
W1285: Lysander Spooner - If Money Can Be Taken by Government
If any man's money can be taken by a so-called government, without his own personal consent, all his other rights are taken with it; for with his money the government can, and will, hire soldiers to stand over him, compel him to submit to its arbitrary will, and kill him if he resists. —Lysander Spooner
W1286: Lysander Spooner - Man Refuses to be a Slave
The principle that the majority have a right to rule the minority, practically resolves all government into a mere contest between two bodies of men, as to which of them shall be masters, and which of them slaves; a contest, that-however bloody-can, in the nature of things, never be finally closed, so long as man refuses to be a slave. —Lysander Spooner
W1287: Henry Hazlitt - Needles Bureaucrats
When your money is taken by a thief, you get nothing in return. When your money is taken through taxes to support needless bureaucrats, precisely the same situation exists. —Henry Hazlitt
W1288: Henry Hazlitt - Maximize Production to Cure Poverty
The only real cure for poverty is production. The way to maximize production is to maximize the incentives to production. —Henry Hazlitt
W1289: Ludwig von Mises – Deification of Government
Government interference always means either violent action or the threat of such action. […] In face of the modern tendencies toward a deification of government and state, it is good to remind ourselves that the old Romans were more realistic in symbolizing the state by a bundle of rods with an ax in the middle than are our contemporaries in ascribing to the state all the attributes of God. —Ludwig von Mises
W1293: Ludwig von Mises - What Capitalism Gave the World
Capitalism gave the world what it needed, a higher standard
of living for a steadily increasing number of people. —Ludwig von Mises
W1294: Thomas Sowell – One Honest Man
It is amazing how much panic one honest man can spread among a multitude of hypocrites. —Thomas Sowell
W1296: Walter Williams - False Charity
The act of reaching into one’s own pockets to help a fellow man in need is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone else’s pocket is despicable. —Walter Williams
W1298: Murray Rothbard – The Spokesmen for All
We libertarians are not the spokesmen for any ethnic or economic class;
we are the spokesmen for all classes, for all of the public;
we strive to see all of these groups united, hand-in-hand, in opposition to the plundering and privileged minority that constitutes the rulers of the State. —Murray Rothbard
W1299: Walter Williams - Commitment to Liberty
The true test of one’s commitment to liberty and private property rights… comes when we permit people to be free to do those voluntary things with which we disagree. —Walter Williams
W1300: Lew Rockwell - Knock the Table Over
We don’t beg for scraps from the imperial table. We don’t seek a seat at that table. We want to knock the table over. —Lew Rockwell (Paul Festival, 25 Aug 2012)
W1301: Tom Woods – Greatest Gains Against Poverty
The greatest gains against poverty in the United States occurred when government was least involved. —Tom Woods
W1302: Lysander Spooner – Against the Whole World
A man’s natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equally a crime, whether committed by one man, calling himself a robber, or by millions, calling themselves a government. —Lysander Spooner
W1305: Jeff Deist – A Position of Humility
Because we all see the world differently, we don't know what's best for everyone. That is precisely why we are libertarians. We start from a position of humility, not hubris. —Jeff Deist
W1306: Karl Hess – The Hypocrisy of the Left and Right
Libertarianism is rejected by the modern Left, which preaches individualism but practices collectivism. Capitalism is rejected by the modern Right, which preaches enterprise but practices protectionism. —Karl Hess (The Death of Politics)
W1307: Karl Hess – Radical and Revolutionary Movements
Both Left and Right are reactionary and authoritarian. That is to say, both are political. They seek only to revise current methods of acquiring and wielding political power. Radical and revolutionary movements seek not to revise but to revoke. The target of revocation should be obvious. The target is politics itself. —Karl Hess (The Death of Politics)
W1308: Kurt Russell – I’m a Libertarian
I’m a libertarian. I think a lot of people are libertarians and are afraid to admit it. —Kurt Russell
W1309: Thomas Sowell – Dangerous and Stupid
It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. —Thomas Sowell
W1310: Trey Parker - I'm a Registered Libertarian
I’m a registered Libertarian. We find just as many things to rip on the left as we do on the right. People on the far-left and the far-right are the same exact person to us. —Trey Parker, Co-Creator of South Park
W1311: Booker T. Washington - The Majority
A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it's accepted by a majority. —Booker T. Washington
W1312: Karl Hess – As Governments Fail
As governments fail around the world, as more millions become aware that government never has and never can humanely and effectively manage men's affairs, government's own inadequacy will emerge, at last, as the basis for a truly radical and revolutionary movement. —Karl Hess
W1313: Karl Hess – The Radical Position is a Lonely One
The radical-revolutionary position is a lonely one. It is feared and hated, by both Right and Left — although both Right and Left must borrow from it to survive. The radical-revolutionary position is libertarianism, and its socioeconomic form is laissez-faire capitalism. —Karl Hess
W1314: Hans-Hermann Hoppe – Seven Year Old Voters
If the right to vote were expanded to seven year olds, its policies would most definitely reflect the legitimate concerns of children to have adequate and equal access to free french fries, lemonade and videos. —Hans-Hermann Hoppe
W1315: Thomas DiLorenzo - Government Waste
In government, the worse an agency performs, the more money it can claim from a legislature. If state-run schools fail to educate children, then obviously they need more money… If the welfare state fails to reduce, or actually increases, poverty then obviously, say the bureaucrats, we need to expand welfare programs even further. —Thomas DiLorenzo, The Problem with Socialism
W1316: Thomas DiLorenzo – The Most Dangerous Man
The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think for himself. —Thomas DiLorenzo, The Problem with Socialism
W1317: Melissa Joan Hart – Two-Party System
I want to break away from this two-party system and I think it’s important for people to know that there’s other candidates out there who really toe the line between Democrat and Republican. —Melissa Joan Hart
W1318: Jimmy Wales – Hayek & Wikipedia
Hayek’s work on price theory is central to my own thinking about how to manage the Wikipedia project. One can’t understand my ideas about Wikipedia without understanding Hayek. —Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia
W1319: Julian Assange – Start with the Truth
You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Because any decision-making that is based upon lies or ignorance can’t lead to a good conclusion. —Julian Assange, Founder of WikiLeaks
W1324: Walter Williams – Be Bold
It takes a bold person to be for personal liberty because you have to be able to cope with people saying things and engaging in voluntary acts that you deem offensive. —Walter Williams
W1325: Alex Merced – Being Libertarian
Being libertarian doesn’t mean hating progressives or conservatives. It means loving individual rights enough to not force them to be like you. —Alex Merced
W1326: Stephan Kinsella - To Be An Anarchist
To be an anarchist only means that you believe that aggression is not justified, and that states necessarily employ aggression. And, therefore, the aggression they necessarily employ, are unjustified. It's quite simple, really. It's an ethical view. —Stephan Kinsella, Lawyer, Author, Anarcho-Capitalist
W1327: Stephen Kinsella - The Non-Aggression Principle
The libertarian approach is a very symmetrical one. The non-aggression principle does not rule out force, but only the initiation of force. In other words, you are permitted to use force only in response to some else's use of force. If they do not use force you may not use force yourself. There is a symmetry here. — Stephan Kinsella, Lawyer, Author, Anarcho-Capitalist
W1328: Ayn Rand - The Rights of Another
Any alleged right of one man which necessitates the violation of the rights of another is not and cannot be a right. —Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness (1964)
W1329: John Mearsheimer: Twiddledum and Twiddledee
As far as I'm concerned the Republicans and the Democrats on Foreign Policy are like Twiddledum and Twiddledee. There's just no difference between them. —John Mearsheimer, University of Chicago
W1330: Rob Schneider - Advocating Censorship
Advocating censoring someone instead of debating the merits of your argument is to admit your goal is not to expand knowledge but to suppress it. —Rob Schneider
W1331: John Mearsheimer — Midas Touch but in Reverse
The United States' Foreign Policy is the Midas Touch but in reverse. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, the list goes on… —John Mearsheimer, University of Chicago
W1332: Ludwig von Mises - Hypocrisy of Anti-Capitalists
All people, however fanatical they may be in their zeal to disparage and to fight capitalism, implicitly pay homage to it by passionately clamoring for the products it turns out. —Ludwig von Mises
W1333: Ludwig von Mises - Socialism Breeds Inequality
The worst thing that can happen to a socialist is to have his country ruled by socialists who are not his friends. —Ludwig von Mises
W1334: John Stossel – The Free Market is Magical
I viewed the marketplace as a cruel place, where you need intervention by government to protect people. But after watching the regulators work, I have come to believe that markets are magical, and the best protectors of the consumer. It is my job to explain the beauties of the free market. —John Stossel
W1336: Ayn Rand - A Guide to Rights
The rights of one man cannot and must not violate the rights of another. For instance: a man has the right to live, but he has no right to take the life of another. He has the right to be free, but no right to enslave another.
The very right upon which he acts defines the same right of another man, and serves as a guide to tell him what he may or may not do. —Ayn Rand
W1337: Ayn Rand – The Right to Enslave
If some men are entitled by right to the products of the work of others, it means that those others are deprived of rights and condemned to slave labor. No man can have a right to impose an unchosen obligation, an unrewarded duty, or an involuntary servitude on another man. There can be no such thing as “the right to enslave” —Ayn Rand
W1338: Karl Hess - Protecting Freedom
If our freedom is so fragile that it must be continuously protected by giving it up, then we are in deep trouble. —Karl Hess
W1340: Lew Rockwell – They’ll Fasten Their Own Chains
It isn't a coincidence that governments everywhere want to educate children. If the government's propaganda can take root as children grow up, those kids will be no threat to the state apparatus — they'll fasten the chains to their own ankles. —Lew Rockwell
W1341: Lauren Southern - They have a Cartoonish Worldview
The terrifying thing is the less likely someone is to point Ukraine on the map the more likely it is that they want their country to go to war. They have no idea of any of the history. They look at it from a cartoonish worldview. —Lauren Southern, "Your Welcome" with Michael Malice #198
W1342: Hannah Cox – True Feminism
True feminism means the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. I’m an advocate for men… in every bit as much as I am an advocate for women. —Hannah Cox
W1343: Scott Horton – It Would Be At the Expense of Our Liberty
Even if somehow waging violent coups and regime change wars across the planet could guarantee freedom for those people, it would necessarily come at the expense of those whose lives and liberty our government is actually sworn to protect: ours. —Scott Horton
W1345: Kerry McDonald – 1.3 Billion Children Learning at Home
Those of us who homeschooled our kids prior to the school shutdowns were quick to point out that pandemic homeschooling was nothing like the real thing. Despite this inauspicious introduction to homeschooling, millions of parents and students discovered that learning without schooling is not only possible but preferable. —Kerry McDonald
W1346: Lew Rockwell - Let Us Not Be Mere Spectators
Let us not be mere spectators. With our pens, with our voices, with our contributions to our great cause let us give history a push in the direction of freedom. —Lew Rockwell
W1347: Mary Ruwart - Fear of FDA Reprisal
Nobody in the drug industry is going to say anything because if they do the FDA could punish them by dragging their feet on their approvals, which could destroy a company, and it has destroyed many. So no one is going to speak out. —Dr. Mary J. Ruwart
W1348: Mary Ruwart – We Are Responsible
We defer to authority figures because they are supposed to know more than we do. If a mistake is made, it's easy to lay the blame at their feet. Ultimately, however, we are responsible for choosing the authority figure we defer to. Choosing to defer to one who urges aggression against others still puts the responsibility on us. —Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, Healing Our World
W1349: Ron Paul – Moral Commitment to Liberty
Those whose libertarianism is based on utilitarianism are oftentimes willing to sacrifice liberty in a doomed attempt to achieve an important goal. In contrast, those with a moral commitment to liberty are unlikely to betray liberty by endorsing government force. —Ron Paul
W1353: Mary Ruwart - Expensive Medicine
We pay 5 times as much for drugs than we should. Because the FDA is blamed when drugs affect some people adversely, the agency drags out the approval process. Drug development time and cost has increased greatly since the early 1960s without any improvement in either efficacy or safety. The true cost, however, is measured in lives, as tens of thousands of people die waiting for the FDA to approve breakthrough drugs. —Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, Healing Our World
W1354: Mary Ruwart - Heart Disease and Aspirin
The FDA limits the information that drug companies can share with doctors and consumers. As many as 100,000 Americans died needlessly from heart disease each year that aspirin makers couldn’t advertise aspirin’s role in its prevention. —Dr. Mary J. Ruwart, Healing Our World
W1357: Mary Ruwart - Zimbabwe's Elephants
In Kenya, the elephant population dropped from 65,000 to 19,000 even though elephant hunting was forbidden. In Zimbabwe, however, natives can claim, or homestead, elephants living on their lands. Natives can legally sell permits to hunt them. Zimbabwe’s elephant population grew from 30,000 to 43,000. People will protect the environment when they own it and profit from it. —Mary J Ruwart
W1359: Antony Davies - 22 Trillion on Poverty
If the government had simply divided the 22 trillion dollars it spent on poverty since 1964 among all the poor people living in the United States since 1964, each person would've received more than $10,000 per year. —Antony Davies
W1361: Mary Ruwart – Public Schools are Wasteful
Public schools consume twice as many dollars in operating costs as do private ones. Increasing the public school budgets does not improve learning and may even have a negative effect. During an international competition, U.S. eighth graders were asked, “What is the average age of these chidren? 13, 8, 6, 4, 4.” The correct answer, 7, was one of the multiple choice answers, yet an embarrassing 60% of the U.S. students missed it. —Mary Ruwart
W1362: Mary Ruwart - Patients Die Waiting for New Drugs
Cancer patients often die waiting for new drugs to be approved by the FDA? Abigail Burroughs had squamous cell carcinoma, diagnosed when she was only 19 years old. She tried unsuccessfully to get FDA permission to try a new drug (Erbitux) that had shown success against her type of cancer. The FDA refused, and Abigail died at age 21. Abigail’s father formed the Abigail Alliance and sued the FDA. However, the courts ruled that Americans do not have the constitutional right to save their lives with drugs not approved by the FDA. —Mary Ruwart
W1363: Antony Davies - Spontaneous Order
In Nicaragua where sign language didn’t exist, in 1981, a new school for the deaf opened. Fifty deaf students enrolled during the school’s first year, and a curious thing happened: they developed their own version of sign language. No one taught them this; they simply began assigning signs and gestures to the things in their environment, and slowly a language emerged, complete with verb tenses and the like, to rival any other language. Spontaneous orders are systems that develop organically. They aren’t designed by a coercive authority. They emerge through countless human interactions undertaken over time. —Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan
W1364: Antony Davies - Venezuelan Inflation
To address its cash crunch, the Venezuelan government printed money, which gave birth to rampant inflation. Depending on whom you ask, Venezuela’s annual inflation rate exceeded something between 60,000 percent and 200,000 percent in 2019. To put that in perspective, a product that cost one dollar in January 2019 would cost between $600 and $2,000 by the end of 2019. —Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan
W1365: Antony Davies - Unintended Consequences
In Hanoi during the French colonial period there was a problem with too many rats. The French authorities offered a bounty for every rat killed but required only that people bring the rats’ tails as evidence. Hanoi was soon overrun by tailless rats. The people were simply catching the rats, cutting off their tails, and releasing them. Why? So those rats could procreate, creating more rats and more bounties. In the end, Hanoi had more rats after the bounty than before. Sometimes there are perverse outcomes and unintended consequences of a government policy. —Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan
W1366: Antony Davies - Seat Belt Laws
Forty-nine states now mandate seat belt use and motor vehicle fatalities have decreased. But there is more to the story. As more drivers used seat belts, fatalities for pedestrians and cyclists increased. Why? As seat belt use rose, driving became safer. As driving became safer, the cost to drivers of being inattentive fell. And as the cost of being inattentive fell, drivers could afford to exercise less care. So as safety regulations make drivers safer, pedestrians and cyclists face greater risk. —Antony Davies, James R. Harrigan
W1368: William Warded - Excessive Regulations in Drug Development
If even one new drug of the stature of penicillin or digitalis has been unjustifiably banished to a company's backshelf because of excessively stringent regulatory requirements, that event will have harmed more people than all the toxicity that has occurred in the history of modern drug development combined. —William Warded
W1369: Life Extension Magazine - 430,000 Deaths
After 12 long years of battling the FDA, and after the needless, premature deaths of at least 430,000 Americans, Ribavirin, which can treat severe lung infections, was finally approved in June 1998. —Life Extension Magazine
W1370: Mary Ruwart - Slow Drug Approval in America
By the mid-1980s, 72% of new drugs approved by the FDA had already been available elsewhere for an average of 5.5 years. One new drug that came late to the American market was Propranolol, the first beta-blocker to be used extensively to treat angina and hypertension. Approximately 30,000 Americans died prematurely because they couldn’t get this lifesaving drug and because their doctors did not prescribe it. Advertising Propranolol as a treatment was illegal. —Mary Ruwart
W1371: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – Non-Participation in Lies
Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule let us resist in the smallest way: a personal non-participation in lies! —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
W1374: Walter Block - Youth Unemployment & Minimum Wage
In 1948, white teenage unemployment in the U.S. was 10.2%, while black teenage unemployment was only 9.4%. This was when the effective minimum wage rate was much lower. Today, in a much less discriminatory epoch, but where teenagers are “protected” by a more stringent minimum wage law, white youth unemployment is 13.9%, while black youth unemployment is an astounding and shameful 33.5%. —Walter Block, The Case for Discrimination, 2010
W1375: Murray Rothbard – Man Cannot Live as a Parasite
The man who seizes another's property is living in basic contradiction to his own nature as a man. For man can only live and prosper by his own production and exchange of products. The aggressor, on the other hand, is not a producer at all but a predator; he lives parasitically off the labor and product of others. Parasites must have non-parasites to feed upon. The parasite depends completely on the production of the host body. Any increase in coercive exploitation (parasitism) decreases the quantity and the output of the producers, until finally, if the producers die out, the parasites will quickly follow suit. Thus, parasitism cannot be a universal ethic. —Murray Rothbard
W1376: Thomas Sowell – Rent Control Laws
In Australia, not a single apartment building was built in Melbourne for years after World War II because of rent control laws. In a number of Massachusetts communities, no rental housing was built for a quarter of a century, until the state banned local rent control laws, after which building resumed. The lower rate of return on investments in new buildings causes fewer of them to be built. —Thomas Sowell
W1377: Thomas Sowell – Unaffordable Housing
San Francisco Bay Area has one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation. However, as recently as 1970, Bay Area housing was affordable.
Data from the 1970 census shows that a Bay Area family could dedicate 25% to housing and pay off their mortgage in just 13 years. By 1980, a family had to spend 40% of their income to pay off a home mortgage in 30 years; today, it requires 50%. It is precisely government intervention in housing markets which has made previously affordable housing unaffordable. Both the history and the economics of housing show this. —Thomas Sowell
W1378: Thomas Sowell – Government Planning
“Planning” in political rhetoric is the government’s suppression of other people’s plans by superimposing on them a collective plan, created by third parties, armed with the power of government and exempted from paying the costs that these collective plans impose on others. —Thomas Sowell
W1379: Thomas Sowell – Confusing Victimhood with Virtue
[People] often make the fatal error of confusing victimhood with virtue
[They] line up on the side of the victim, instead of lining up on the side of a moral principle. Yet nothing has been more common in history than for victims to become oppressors when they gain power —Thomas Sowell, Race and Culture: A World View
W1380: Thomas Sowell – Women & Higher Education
Women in most countries are going on to higher education in numbers comparable to men—and, in some countries, more often than men. In Japan there are 90 women enrolled in higher education for every 100 men, in the United States 140 women for every 100 men and, in Sweden, 150 women for every 100 men. There is no question that the sexes have often been treated differently [with regards to education]. But few societies today have such severe restrictions on the education of girls, at least not in the Western world. —Thomas Sowell
W1383: Thomas Sowell – Why Women Earn Less
As far back as 1969, academic women who never married earned more than academic men who never married. A study from 2005 showed that among college-educated, never-married individuals with no children who worked full-time and were from 40 to 64 years old—that is, beyond the child-bearing years—men averaged $40,000 a year in income, while women averaged $47,000. The most important reason why women earn less than men is not that they are paid less for doing the very same work but that they are distributed differently among jobs and have fewer hours and less continuity in the labor force. —Thomas Sowell
W1385: Gloria Alvarez - Government Power
The more power you give the government the less power you have to control your life. —Gloria Alvarez
W1386: Thomas Sowell – Pay is Not a Reward for Merit
People born into families with every advantage of wealth, education, and social position may be able to achieve a high level of productivity without any great struggle that would indicate individual merit. Conversely, people who have had to struggle to overcome many disadvantages, in order to achieve even a modest level of productivity, may show great individual merit. But an economy is not a moral seminar authorized to hand out badges of merit to deserving people. An economy is a mechanism for generating the material wealth on which the standard of living of millions of people depend. Pay is not a retrospective reward for merit but an incentive for contributing to production. —Thomas Sowell
W1387: Jeff Deist – Withdrawal from the Federal Leviathan
Imagine what a committed, coordinated libertarian base could achieve in America! Ten percent of the US population, or roughly thirty-two million people, would be an unstoppable force of non-violent withdrawal from the federal leviathan. —Jeff Deist
W1389: Antony Davies - Poverty Bureaucracy
We have developed a poverty industry and a poverty bureaucracy. Both of them seek to perpetuate themselves, and yet the poverty rate remains the same year over year. The war on poverty is not dominated by the people who are poor but by the non-poor who benefit from employment in poverty programs. —Antony Davies
W1390: Dave Smith – That was a Declaration of War
Ron Paul is not only the greatest libertarian ever, he is the greatest living American Hero. When they attacked him, that was a Declaration of War. —Dave Smith
W1391: Antony Davies – Not the Poor who Benefit
It is not the poor who benefit the most from “the war on poverty” but the non-poor who benefit from employment in poverty programs. —Antony Davies
W1392: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – Truth Will Not Be Easy
The truth will not be an easy path. Perhaps, but it is the easiest among those that lie before us. Not an easy choice for the body, but the only one for the soul. No, not an easy path, but then we already have among us people, who have for years lived by the truth. And so: We need not be the first to set out on this path, Ours is but to join! The more of us set out together, the thicker our ranks, the easier and shorter will this path be for us all! If we become thousands—they will not cope, they will be unable to touch us. If we will grow to tens of thousands—we will not recognize our country! —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
W1394: Scott Horton - Modern Democracies
Most modern democracies are to some extent dual states. There is the government described in high school civics books, with carefully checked and circumscribed powers — but lurking in the background, there is a far more formidable bureaucratic apparatus, which actually wields the power of the state and cares little for constitutional niceties. —Scott Horton
W1395: Lew Rockwell - The Key to Its Survival
If the state loses its grip over your mind, it loses the very key to its survival. —Lew Rockwell
W1396: Dave Smith – Something to Be Proud Of
We are going to make the Libertarian Party something libertarians can be proud of. —Dave Smith
W1398: Thomas Sowell - Misleading the Young
There are only a few things more dishonorable than misleading the young. —Thomas Sowell
W1399: Walter Block - The Cause of Traffic Accidents is Government
Do not be mislead by the oft made contention that the actual cause of highway fatalities is speed, drunkenness, vehicle malfunction, driver error, etc. These are only proximate causes. The ultimate cause of our dying like flies in traffic accidents is that those who own and manage these assets supposedly in the name of the public—the various roads bureaucrats—cannot manage their way out of the proverbial paper bag. It is they and they alone who are responsible for this carnage.
W1400: Andrew Napolitano - Government Lies to Us Regularly
The government is not concerned with the truth. It lies to us regularly, consistently, systematically, and daily on matters great and small, but it prosecutes and jails those who lie to it! —Andrew Napolitano
W1401: Maj Toure - All Gun Control is Racist
Gun control in America was initially created to stop melanated beings from having firearms. Whether they make it look like you have to pay a fee, or you have to do this, or you have to do that—all gun control is racist. —Maj Toure, Founder, Black Guns Matter
W1402: Hannah Cox - Learn Economics
If you haven't taken the time to learn econ and ensure your ideas don't hurt people, you can't claim to care about them. —Hannah Cox
W1403: Julie Borowski - Repeal Victimless Crime Laws
I think all those laws against victimless crimes where people are only hurting themselves should be repealed and dealt with in a manner that would actually help people, as opposed to throwing them in jail and taking them away from their families. —Julie Borowski
W1404: Ayn Rand - Statism is Perpetual Violence
Statism is a system of institutionalized violence and perpetual civil war. It leaves men no choice but to fight to seize political power—to rob or be robbed, to kill or be killed. When brute force is the only criterion of social conduct, and unresisting surrender to destruction is the only alternative, even the lowest of men, even an animal—even a cornered rat—will fight. There can be no peace within an enslaved nation. —Ayn Rand
W1405: Karl Hess - Integration & Segregation
Racism has been supported in this country not despite of, but thanks to, governmental power and politics. Reverse racism — thinking that government is competent to force people to integrate, just as it once forced them to segregate — is just as political and just as disastrous. It has not worked. Its product has been hatred rather than brotherhood. —Karl Hess
W1406: Dave Smith - Bold Messaging
What bold messaging means, from a libertarian perspective, is telling the truth. If there's a libertarian who is telling the truth, there's no way that it isn't bold messaging. We are all radicals. We live under the biggest government in the history of the world. As Martin Luther King once said, “The United States government is the biggest purveyor of violence in the world” —Dave Smith
W1372: Antony Davies – The Humans Who Work in Government
The faith that people unthinkingly place in government to accomplish goals is at the same time faith in the people who work in government. But people who work in government are no more knowledgeable, capable, motivated, or well-intentioned than their counterparts outside of government. Humans who work in government are the very same kinds of humans as those who don’t, and they are subject to all the same motivations like everyone else. So many people miss this fundamental point in so many ways that it is mind-boggling. —Antony Davies
W1360: Thomas Sowell - Centralized Censorship
The intelligencia in the media can decide what to emphasize, what to downplay and what to ignore entirely when it comes to race. These may be individual choices, rather than a conspiracy, but individual choices growing out of a common vision of the world can produce results all too similar to what is produced by centralized censorship or propaganda. —Thomas Sowell
W1358: They Lie to Us
The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they're lying, they know we know they're lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them. —from the memoir of a young girl who grew up in the Soviet Union
W1335: James Madison – Charity is No Part of Government
Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government. —James Madison
W1291: Ludwig von Mises – Most Tyrants and Despots
Most of the tyrants, despots, and dictators are sincerely convinced that their rule is beneficial for the people. —Ludwig von Mises
W1260: Ludwig von Mises - Interfere with the Course of Events
He who only wishes and hopes does not interfere actively with the course of events and with the shaping of his own destiny. ― Ludwig Von Mises
W1253: Murray Rothbard - Government Intervention Brings Depression
The business cycle is brought about, not by any mysterious failings of the free market economy, but quite the opposite: By systematic intervention by government in the market process. Government intervention brings about bank expansion and inflation, and, when the inflation comes to an end, the subsequent depression-adjustment comes into play. —Murray Rothbard
W1248: Murray Rothbard - Statists are Really Opposed to Charity
Statists, in fact, are really opposed to charity. They often argue that charity is demeaning and degrading to the recipient, and that he should therefore be taught that the money is rightly his, to be given to him by the government as his due. An act of charity, when given voluntarily, is generally considered temporary and offered with the object of helping a man to help himself. But when the dole is ladled out by the State, it becomes permanent and perpetually degrading, keeping the recipients in a state of subservience. Anyone who considers private charity degrading must logically conclude that State charity is far more so. —Murray Rothbard
W1245: Murray Rothbard - The State is Inherently Anti-Capitalist
Since the State necessarily lives by the compulsory confiscation of private capital, and since its expansion necessarily involves ever-greater incursions on private individuals and private enterprise, we must assert that the State is profoundly and inherently anti-capitalist. —Murray Rothbard
W1234: Ludwig von Mises - Attempts to Coerce Human Beings Must Fail
All attempts to coerce the living will of human beings into the service of something they do not want must fail. —Ludwig von Mises
W1231: Thomas Sowell - We're Raising Kids Who Regard Facts as Optional
I think we're raising whole generations who regard facts as more or less optional. We have kids in elementary school who are being urged to take stands on political issues, to write letters to congressmen and presidents about nuclear energy. They're not a decade old, and they're being thrown these kinds of questions that can absorb the lifetime of a very brilliant and learned man. And they're being taught that it's important to have views, and they're not being taught that it's important to know what you're talking about. It's important to hear the opposite viewpoint, and more important to learn how to distinguish why viewpoint A and viewpoint B are different, and which one has the most evidence or logic behind it. They disregard that. They hear something, they hear some rhetoric, and they run with it. —Thomas Sowell
W1206: Do Not Violate Your Principles in Order to Fit In
Do not violate your principles in order to fit in with people who have no principles.
W1204: Ludwig von Mises - Capitalism Delivers the Goods
Capitalism needs neither propaganda nor apostles. Its achievements speak for themselves. Capitalism delivers the goods. —Ludwig von Mises
W1203: John Stuart Mill - Silencing of Discussion is an Assumption of Infallibility
To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility. —John Stuart Mill
W1202: Ludwig von Mises - Freedom Requires Unrestricted Thought and Speech
It is vain to fight totalitarianism by adopting totalitarian methods. Freedom can only be won by men unconditionally committed to the principles of freedom. The first requisite for a better social order is the return to unrestricted freedom of thought and speech. —Ludwig von Mises
W1188: Friedrich Hayek - Democracy will Inevitably Destroy Itself
When it becomes dominated by a collectivist creed, democracy will inevitably destroy itself. —Friedrich Hayek
W1187: Jordan Peterson - Broadcast TV is Dead
For young people, broadcast TV is so dead that they don't even notice the corpse. —Jordan Peterson
W1186: Murray Rothbard - We are Libertarians of the Will and Intellect
We are libertarians of the will as well as the intellect, of activity as well as theory, of real-world struggle as well as idealistic vision. Our goal is nothing less than the victory of liberty over the Leviathan state, and we shall not be deflected, we shall not be diverted, we shall not be suborned, from achieving that goal. Secure in the knowledge that we are in the right, inspired by the vision, determination and courage of our forbears, we dedicate ourselves to the noblest cause of all, the old American cause, of individual liberty. —Murray Rothbard
W1184: Michael Rectenwald - Stalin, Just Weirder
Close your eyes and imagine a world full of self-replicating little Stalins.
Now open your eyes. You live in that world. It's called social justice and the little Stalins are SJWs. SJW: Stalin, Just Weirder. —Michael Rectenwald
W1181: John Stuart Mill - Every Great Movement Must Experience 3 Stages
Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption. —John Stuart Mill
W1175: Don't Take Your Liberties For Granted
There is a 3300-volt electric fence along the borders of North Korea. Don’t take your freedom and liberties for granted.
W1174: Ayn Rand - Individual Rights are Not Subject to a Public Vote
A majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority. Individual Rights are not subject to a public vote. —Ayn Rand
W1167: Thomas Sowell - No Contact to Economic Reality
You can become president with no contact with economic reality. —Thomas Sowell
W1160: Friedrich Hayek - Democratic Socialism Produces Something Different
Democratic Socialism, the great utopia of the last few generations, is not only unachievable, but that to strive for it produces something that many will not believe until the connection has been laid bare in all its aspects. —F.A. Hayek
W1159: Thomas Sowell - Slavery Can Never Be Forgotten Nor Forgiven
To say that one has been compensated is to say that things have been set right. Slavery can neither be forgotten nor forgiven. Certainly NOT by those who never suffered it personally, and certainly NOT in exchange for money or other benefits. —Thomas Sowell (Race & Culture: A World View)
W1158: Defending Liberty During a Crisis
There is no use promoting liberty if you won't defend it during a crisis.
W1157: Mark Groves - Stand on the Truth
If a truth burns down a relationship, a family, a community, or a society, it was only ever held together by lies. And to that I say, let it burn. I never want to live in a world where our need for ‘comfort’ supersedes our need to stand on a foundation only the truth can provide. —Mark Groves
W1155: Kerry McDonald - Critical Race Theory is a Harmful Ideology
Critical race theory is the practice of viewing all social and cultural issues through the lens of race. [It] is a harmful and divisive ideology influenced by Marxism that moves us further away from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a nation that focuses on individual character, not color. It is important to speak out against this ideology that places group identity above individualism. —Kerry McDonald
W1152: David Friedman - Millions of People Would Like to Become Americans
There are people, probably many millions, who would like to come here, live here, work here, raise their children here, die here. There are people who would like to become Americans, as our parents and grandparents did. If we want to be honest, we can ship the Statue of Liberty back to France or replace the outdated verse with new lines, 'America the closed preserve. That dirty foreigners don't deserve' —David Friedman
W1148: Dave Smith – Our Enemy isn’t Each Other, Our Enemy is the State
The enemy is who the enemy has always been. Our enemy isn't left wingers or right wingers. Our enemy is the state. —Dave Smith
W1147: Don't Compromise with the Corrupt
There is no compromise when it comes to corruption. You have to fight it.
W1144: Frank Zappa - The Illusion of Freedom
The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it’s profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater. —Frank Zappa
W1143: Janine Kent - Corruption is Corruption Despite the Reason
Corruption is corruption, despite the validity of the reasons it is carried out. —Janine Kent
W1142: Dave Smith - We Are Going to Win Over the Party
We are going to out-recruit and out-work others and win over the party. If you want to beat us, out-recruit us and out-work us. — Dave Smith
W1140: Anthony Welti - No Moral Difference in Different Kinds of Taxes
There is no moral difference between a sales tax, property tax or income tax. They all take, without consent, what someone created with their freedom and liberty and give it to an entity that has no right to have it. — Anthony Welti
W1141: Murray Rothbard - The State is a Criminal Band
If you wish to know how libertarians regard the State and any of its acts, simply think of the State as a criminal band, and all of the libertarian attitudes will logically fall into place. —Murray Rothbard
W1139: Raylene Lightheart - Here's to the Trouble Makers!
Here’s to the trouble makers! Here’s to the jury nullifiers, the rebel scum, those who won’t rest until they see justice and unfettered freedom! —Raylene Lightheart
W1134: Heinrich Heine – Where They Burn Books…
Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people. —Heinrich Heine (German Poet 1820)
W1132: Frank Zappa - The Government Doesn't Own You
I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist' — in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government, it doesn't own you. —Frank Zappa
W1131: Angela McArdle - We should Conquer Our Challenges Directly
The answer isn’t to run away from conflict or challenges — it’s to address it directly, conquer our challenges in messaging and internal conflict, and integrate our shadow. —Angela McArdle
W1130: Julie Borowski - Nothing Virtuous About Stealing
There is nothing virtuous about spending other people’s money without their consent—no matter how well-intentioned the cause. Most of us would never dream of stealing money from a neighbor to give to someone less fortunate. Why then do some people demand that the government do it for them? —Julie Borowski
W1126: John Stossel – Acting in Self-Interest
People acting in their own self-interest is the fuel for all the discovery, innovation, and prosperity that powers the world. —John Stossel (In Defense of Capitalism)
W1119: Murray Rothbard - We Did Not Seek Politics
We did not seek politics, it was thrust upon us by the state. It is absurd not to make use of the political machinery to roll back the state. —Murray Rothbard
W1113: Joseph Sobran - Greed and Politicians
Politicians never accuse you of ‘greed’ for wanting other people’s money—only for wanting to keep your own. —Joseph Sobran
W1106: Ralph Waldo Emerson - Be Yourself
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
W1103: Tonie Theodora Nathan - Genuine Threat to Both Parties
What is the major news media afraid of? Could it be that most Americans share the Libertarian ideals of Republican fiscal conservatism and Democratic social liberalism? Perhaps such Libertarian views represent a genuine threat to both major parties. —Tonie Theodora Nathan
W1102: Mary J. Ruwart - Business will Control Govt
As long as government has the power to regulate business, business will control government, by funding the candidate that legislates in their favor. A free-market thwarts lobbying by taking the power that corporations seek, away from government! The only sure way to prevent the rich from buying unfair government influence is to stop allowing government to use physical force against peaceful people. —Mary J. Ruwart
W1101: Isabel Paterson - Poverty and Laws
Poverty can be brought about by law; it cannot be forbidden by law. —Isabel Paterson
W1100: Rose Wilder Lane - Economic Security and Human Rights
Anyone who says that economic security is a human right, has been too much babied. While he babbles, other men are risking and losing their lives to protect him. They are fighting the sea, fighting the land, fighting disease and insects and weather and space and time, for him. While he chatters that all men have a right to security and that some pagan god—Society, The State, The Government, The Commune—must give it to them. Let the fighting men stop fighting this inhuman earth for one hour, and he will learn how much security there is. —Rose Wilder Lane
W1099: Emma Goldman - Only as Much Liberty
People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take. —Emma Goldman
W1097: Harry Browne - Republicans Govern like Democrats
Republicans campaign like Libertarians and govern like Democrats. —Harry Browne
W1096: Harry Browne - Don't Call Theft Compassion
It's wrong for someone to confiscate your money, give it to someone else, and call that compassion. —Harry Browne
W1088: Part of a Bigger Story
Everyone is part of a bigger story whether for or against human freedom. Which part depends on you.
W1085: Thomas Sowell - Unemployment and Great Depression
People say the government had to intervene during the Great Depression because of the
25% unemployment. What they don't understand is there wasn’t a 25% unemployment UNTIL the government intervened. —Thomas Sowell
W1084: Thomas Sowell - Understood Economics
If the average citizen understood the basics of economics that was understood 200 years ago, most of the nonsense that is done in Washington would be impossible today. —Thomas Sowell
W1083: Thomas Jefferson - Obligated to Disobey
If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so. —Thomas Jefferson
W1081: John Stuart Mill - Whatever Crushes Individuality
Whatever crushes individuality is despotism by whatever name it may be called. —John Stuart Mill
W1080: Frederic Bastiat - Plunder Becomes a Way of Life
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. —Frederic Bastiat
W1079: Frank Kent - Evils of Government
The evils of government are directly proportional to the tolerance of the people. —Frank Kent
W1078: Samuel Adams - Tranquility of Servitude
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. —Samuel Adams
W1077: Henry David Thoreau - The Obedient Must Be Slaves
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. —Henry David Thoreau
W1076: Thomas Jefferson - Timid Men Prefer Despotism
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. —Thomas Jefferson
W1075: Ayn Rand - Statists and Control
One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary. —Ayn Rand
W1067: Adam Kokesh - Education of Ourselves
Education of others starts with education of ourselves. To be advocates for freedom, we don’t need to be academic experts, but it helps to have a complete grasp of the message. —Adam Kokesh
W1063: Ron Paul - Truth is Treason
Truth is treason in the empire of lies. —Ron Paul
W1062: Adam Kokesh - Taxation is Theft
It is not right for one person to steal. It is not right for two people to steal. It is still not right for 51% of a voting population to vote for a representative who will hire a tax collector to steal for them. One of the great government lies is that theft can be moral when performed by enough people and called taxation. —Adam Kokesh
W1059: Adam Kokesh - Governed by Criminals
Anybody who questions authority and questions our current government inevitably comes to the conclusion that we are governed by criminals and we have to fundamentally change the system. —Adam Kokesh
W1055: Rose Wilder Lane - No Need for Government
The need for Government is the need for force where force is unnecessary, there is no need for Government. —Rose Wilder Lane
W1041: Gloria Alvarez - Socialism Has Failed
We have seen Socialism fail on every continent of the planet. But when there is ignorance and when there are people who resent the way of competition and free-market ideas then Socialism can arise. —Gloria Alvarez
W1036: Harry Browne - They Hate our Freedoms
But, actually, it is only Americans who say that our freedoms and prosperity are the reason foreigners hate us. If you ask the foreigners, they make it clear that it's America's bullying foreign policy they detest. —Harry Browne
W1032: Walter Williams - Government and Bloated Egos
Powerful government tends to draw into it people with bloated egos. People who think they know more than everyone else and have little hesitance in coercing their fellow man. Or as Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek said, "in government, the scum rises to the top" —Walter Williams
W1031: Thomas Sowell - Sense of Victimhood
Intellectuals give people who have the handicap of poverty the further handicap of the sense of victimhood. —Thomas Sowell
W1029: Thomas Sowell - Rising Prices and Greed
While rising prices are likely to reflect changes in supply and demand, people ignorant of economics may attribute price rises to greed. —Thomas Sowell
W1022: Larry Sharpe - Laws Are Not the Answer
Laws are not the answer. More laws are not going to help. You don't have to have a law for everything. —Larry Sharpe
W1020: F.A. Hayek - Control Over Productive Resources
It is impossible to assume control over all the productive resources without also deciding for whom and by whom they are to be used. —F.A. Hayek
W1017: Murray Rothbard - Forcing Man to Act Morally
By forcing man to act morally — in reality would deprive man of the very possibility of being moral. For no action can be virtuous unless it is freely chosen. —Murray Rothbard
W1011: Not More Taxes
The solution to society's problems cannot be more taxes.
W1010: Milton Friedman - Source of Inequality
The greatest source of inequality has been special privileges granted by government. —Milton Friedman
W1006: H.L. Mencken - Idiotic Ideas
The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic. —H.L. Mencken
W1005: Frederic Bastiat - Natural Tendencies of Mankind
If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of government are always good? Do they not also belong to the human race? are they made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind? —Frederic Bastiat
W1004: A Free Society
A free society encourages individuality not conformity.
W1003: Ron Paul - No Forced Medical Treatment
No medical treatment should ever be forced. We must each decide for ourselves what is right for our body, our children & our families. —Ron Paul
W1002: Charles Evans Hughes - The Right to be Different
When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free. —Charles Evans Hughes
W1001: Morpheus - Not ready to be unplugged
You have to understand, some people are not ready to be unplugged, and many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. —Morpheus
