The excuse for the destruction of liberty is always the plea of necessary ' that there is no alternative — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Political freedom means the absence of coercion of a man by his fellow men. — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
If the only motive was to help people who could not afford education, advocates of government involvement would have simply proposed tuition… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Freedom in economic arrangements is itself a component of freedom broadly understood, so economic freedom is an end in itself ... Economic… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Whenever we depart from voluntary cooperation and try to do good by using force, the bad moral value of force triumphs over… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The essential notion of a capitalist society ... is voluntary cooperation, voluntary exchange. The essential notion of a socialist society is force. — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction,… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Political leaders in capitalist countries who cheer the collapse of socialism in other countries continue to favor socialist solutions in their own.… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
A society based on the freedom to choose is better than a society based on the principles of socialism, communism and coercion. — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Adam Smith's key insight was that both parties to an exchange can benefit and that, so long as cooperation is strictly voluntary,… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The high rate of unemployment among teenagers, and especially black teenagers, is both a scandal and a serious source of social unrest.… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Self-interest is not myopic selfishness. It is whatever it is that interests the participants, whatever they value, whatever goals they pursue. The… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Fundamentally, there are only two ways of coordinating the economic activities of millions. One is central direction involving the use of coercion… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The preservation of liberty, not the promotion of efficiency, is the primary justification for private property. Efficiency is a happy, though not… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
A society that aims for equality before liberty will end up with neither equality nor liberty. And a society that aims first… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Consider Social Security. The young have always contributed to the support of the old. Earlier, the young helped their own parents out… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
Every friend of freedom must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The proper role of government is exactly what John Stuart Mill said in the middle of the nineteenth century in On Liberty.… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The power to determine the quantity of money... is too important, too pervasive, to be exercised by a few people, however public-spirited,… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
I'm not in favor of no government. You do need a government. But by doing so many things that the government has… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
When a man spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about how much he spends and… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
The economic miracle that has been the United States was not produced by socialized enterprises, by government-unon-industry cartels or by centralized economic… — Milton Friedman Copy Share Image
I believe the role that people like myself have played in the transformation of public opinion has been by persistently presenting a different point… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
To really understand something you've got to reduce it to its principles. — Milton Friedman Copy Share
It is a mark of how far we have gone on the road to serfdom that government allocation and rationing of oil is the… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
“The people in one district can choose not to reelect their member of Congress, but that will not change the composition of the government… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
When you have a time of crisis what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed, and thought… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
The government doesn't have any money. The only power it has is to take from some and give to others. — Milton Friedman Copy Share
What would the people who sold us goods do with the money? They'd get dollars. What would they do with the dollars? Eat them?! — Milton Friedman Copy Share
World trade depends on differences among countries, not similarities. Different countries are in different stages of development. It is appropriate for them to have… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
Is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
Well first of all, tell me, is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
I think almost every economist would agree that government gets itself in trouble when it tries to interfere with voluntary behavior. — Milton Friedman Copy Share
It is most attractive about the US to people and countries with wealth is that it can provide security, insurance really, against political instability.… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
Hong Kong is the bellwether. If the Chinese stick to their agreement to let Hong Kong go its own path, then China will also… — Milton Friedman Copy Share
