Milton Friedman quotes

[hugo]

Political freedom means the absence of coercion of a man by his fellow men.

 

Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.

 

A society that puts equality...ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom.

 

Industrial progress, mechanical improvement, all of the great wonders of the modern era have meant relatively little to the wealthy.

The rich in Ancient Greece would have benefited hardly at all from modern plumbing: running servants replaced running water. Television and radio? The Patricians of Rome could enjoy the leading musicians and actors in their home, could have the leading actors as domestic retainers. Ready-to-wear clothing, supermarkets?all these and many other modern developments would have added little to their life.

The great achievements of Western Capitalism have redounded primarily to the benefit of the ordinary person. These achievements have made available to the masses conveniences and amenities that were previously the exclusive prerogative of the rich and powerful.

 

The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.

 

The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.

 

I?m in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal.

 

Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.

[timesjoke]

 

I?m in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal.

 

Tell that to the crack babies.

 

Also, when people kill themselves with their irresponsibility, they tend to take an innocent with them. It is the innocent that we are trying to protect, not the guilty.

 

 

 

I like many of his quotes, but I have issues with this one.