The difference between a misfortune and a calamity? If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity. Benjamin Disraeli
British Prime Minister (1874-1880), author, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1804-1881
Category Archives: Quotations Freedom
It is desired that Sons and Daughters of Liberty would not buy …
It is desired that Sons and Daughters of Liberty would not buy any one thing of him, for in so doing they will bring Disgrace upon themselves, and their posterity, for ever and ever, Amen.
Note regarding: ‘William Jackson, an importer; at the Brazen Head, North Side of the Town-house and opposite the Town-pump, in Corn-hill, Boston.’ c 1770.
For any individual, there are two ways to become wealthier. One is …
For any individual, there are two ways to become wealthier. One is to do something productive. The other is to redistribute existing resources in one’s own favor. If we all work, we create wealth, and society is better off. But if we all do nothing except try to get our hands into our neighbors’ pockets, we will all be very busy, yet we will all eventually starve.
Reason, May 1994
So I say in relation to the principle that all men are …
So I say in relation to the principle that all men are created equal, let it be as nearly reached as we can. If we cannot give freedom to every creature, let us do nothing that will impose slavery upon any other creature. Abraham Lincoln
Speech July 10, 1858 in Chicago on the Declaration of Independence and its celebration. (1809-1865), 16th president of the United States.
To trade by means of money is the code of the men …
To trade by means of money is the code of the men of good will. Money rests on the axiom that every man is the owner of his mind and his effort. Money allows no power to prescribe the value of your effort except by the voluntary choice of the man who is willing to trade you his effort in return. Money permits you to obtain for your goods and your labor that which they are worth to the men who buy them, but no more. Money permits no deals except those to mutual benefit by the unforced judgment of the traders. Money demands of you the recognition that men must work for their own benefit, not for their own injury, for their gain, not their loss- the recognition that they are not beasts of burden, born to carry the weight of your misery- that you must offer them values, not wounds- that the common bond among men is not the exchange of suffering, but the exchange of GOODS. Money demands that you sell, not your weakness to men’s stupidity, but your talent to their reason; it demands that you buy, not the shoddiest they offer, but the best your money can find. And when men live by trade- with reason, not force, as their final arbiter–it is the best product that wins, the best performance, then man of best judgment and highest ability- and the degree of a man’s productiveness is the degree of his reward. This is the code of existence whose tool and symbol is money. Is this what you consider evil? Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged,(1905-1982)
Serving God is doing good to man, but praying is thought an …
Serving God is doing good to man, but praying is thought an easier service and therefore more generally chosen. Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790
Senator, the thing we forget is why we’re here and what …
Senator, the thing we forget is why we’re here and what we’re trying to do. The government doesn’t provide productive jobs. That’s not what we’re supposed to do. … The job of government is to protect the people, to enforce the law, and to make sure people play by the rules, like the umpires on a ball field. It’s not supposed to be our job, I think, to punish people for playing the game well. Tom Clancy
Executive Orders, 1996
There is a difference between imitating a good man and counterfeiting him. …
There is a difference between imitating a good man and counterfeiting him. Benjamin Franklin
Mr. Speaker, what, then, is the answer to the question: “‘Is America …
Mr. Speaker, what, then, is the answer to the question: “‘Is America a Police State?’ My answer is: ‘Maybe not yet, but it is fast approaching.’ The seeds have been sown and many of our basic protections against tyranny have been and are constantly being undermined. The post-9/11 atmosphere here in Congress has provided ample excuse to concentrate on safety at the expense of liberty, failing to recognize that we cannot have one without the other. Ron Paul
June 27, 2002 (Rep, R- Texas)
Life is measured in increments of time. The theft of one hour …
Life is measured in increments of time. The theft of one hour is an increment of the theft of a man’s life. The theft of one hour of a man’s work by the public (or the government through whatever bureaucratic maneuver) is tantamount to ripping away a piece of the man’s life. Rip away enough pieces, you rip away his life. Robert Murray
Decline and Fall of America