Category Archives: Quotations Freedom

For the past two years a number of Washington politicians have been …

For the past two years a number of Washington politicians have been insisting that a cut, to be a cut, must be a decrease in spending, not a decrease in the increase in spending. That such a semantic argument should even be necessary is a measure of just how deeply the culture of spending had become ingrained in Washington. That it has met with only limited success is a measure of just how powerful are the forces behind continued deficit spending. John Steele Gordon
In Hamilton’s Blessing, as quoted in Forbes, June 2, 1997

In the United States, a person or institution with almost all wealth …

In the United States, a person or institution with almost all wealth invested, long-term, in just three fine domestic corporations is securely rich. And why should such an owner care if at any time most other investors are faring somewhat better or worse. And particularly so when he rationally believes, like Berkshire, that his long-term results will be superior by reason of his lower costs, required emphasis on long-term effects, and concentration in his most preferred choices. Charlie Munger

I answered that the die was now cast; I had passed the …

I answered that the die was now cast; I had passed the Rubicon. Swim or sink, live or die, survive or perish with my country was my unalterable determination. John Adams
Mr. Adams, describing a conversation with Jonathan Sewall in 1774; John Adams: Works, vol. iv. p. 8. American diplomat and 2nd President of the United States from 1797-1801 (1735-1826)

The right of a nation to determine its own form of government …

The right of a nation to determine its own form of government does not include the right to establish a slave society (that is, to legalize the enslavement of some men by others). There is no such thing as ‘the right to enslave.’ A nation can do it, just as a man can become a criminal – but neither can do it by right. Ayn Rand
(1905-1982)