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Politics Quotes by Harry Browne

55 Politics quotes by Harry Browne

All Politics quotes Harry Browne’s page

Harry Browne calls government a coercive agency that forces people, like the Mafia does. He argues that liberty thrives when individuals use their own money instead of relying on big government. He says shrinking government size makes it work better for everyone.

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The government's War on Poverty has transformed poverty from a short-term misfortune into a career choice.

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Republicans campaign like Libertarians and govern like Democrats.

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A little government involvement is just as dangerous as a lot - because the first leads inevitably to the second.

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Since no one but you can know what's best for you, government control can't make your life better.

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Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if it wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.'

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In almost all matters, the real question should be: why are we letting government handle this?

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Government doesn't work. That's the first lesson we must learn if we want to improve society.

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The problem with politics isn't the money; it's the power.

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Give politicians power and it certainly will be abused eventually - if not by today's politicians, then by their successors.

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I am running for President because it is obvious that no Democrat or Republican is ever going to stop the relentless growth…

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If you ask the government to impose morality, then moral questions will be decided by whoever has the most political power.

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I am running for president because it is obvious that no Democrat or Republican is ever going to stop the relentless growth…

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Government doesn't work. You work, I work, Federal Express works, Microsoft works, the Salvation Army works, Alcoholics Anonymous works, but government doesn't.

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When you give politicians the power to do what you think is right you're automatically giving politicians the power to do what…

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Most politicians believe in just one thing - winning elections. They'll say anything to get in office and stay there.

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The coercive power of government is always a beacon to those who want to dominate others -- summoning the worst dregs of…

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Being a politician means never having to say you're sorry. You don't have to say, 'I never should have voted to subsidize…

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So what is government?... Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion - such…

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Once we realize that government doesn't work, we'll know that the only way to improve government is by reducing its size -…

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The press is hostile to the idea of liberty. Most people in the press are for big government. Most people think that…

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Social Security is inherently unsound for the simple reason that it's a political program run by politicians for political purposes...Social Security operates…

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Once we realize that government doesn't work, we will stop dreaming that this or that social problem can be solved by passing…

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We may not always recognize it, but government plays a bigger role in our lives than any other single person or institution.…

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Left-wing politicians take away your liberty in the name of children and of fighting poverty, while right-wing politicians do it in the…

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...The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out…

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The bad consequences of a government program usually don't show up immediately. And the delay may be long enough to hide the…

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[Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964], many governments in southern states forced people to segregate by race. Civil rights advocates fought…

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Democratic politicians want to solve the crisis of poor education by taking more of your money and using it to reduce classroom…

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The best thing we can do for family values is to repeal the income tax. Then families will have the resources they…

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I want a government small enough to fit inside the Constitution.

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Give government the weapons to fight your enemy and it will use them against you.

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No one ever died from smoking marijuana, but millions of people have died by believing politicians.

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The free market punishes irresponsibility. Government rewards it.

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Government is a parasite-a cancer that by nature tries to spread deeper into society. Those who want to run others' lives won't…

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You can't give the government the power to do good without also giving it the power to do bad - in fact,…

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Libertarians understand a very simple fact of life: Government doesn't work. It can't deliver the mail on time, it doesn't keep our…

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Once upon a time, government budgets were balanced, our money was sound, the streets were safe, and taxes imposed by all levels…

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Can you think of a single area of government in which George Bush hasn't already made things worse than Bill Clinton did?

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Politicians are notoriously economically illiterate. And even when they know what would be the right thing, we don't really expect them to…

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World War II has always been of great interest to me. I've known for decades that it was just one more war…

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More by Harry Browne

If younger people see older people who haven't planned ahead and have to rely on charity, the young will be more likely to provide…

Everything we know about human nature and about government tells us that individuals using their own money will achieve far more good for themselves…

You don't have to buy from anyone. You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given…

The American way was for commerce, personal relationships, and religion to be voluntary. No one was forced to participate in something he didn't want.

Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…

Everyone will experience the consequences of his own acts. If his act are right, he'll get good consequences; if they're not, he'll suffer for…

Whatever the price, identify it now. What will you have to go through to get where you want to be? There is a price…

The first step in freeing yourself from social restrictions is the realization that there is no such thing as a safe code of conduct…

Only free people have an incentive to be virtuous. Only people who bear the consequences of their own acts will care about those consequences…

So what is government?... Very simply, it is an agency of coercion. Of course, there are other agencies of coercion - such as the…

The Constitution isn't written in Chinese, Swahili or Sanskrit. It's in plain English.

The press is hostile to the idea of liberty. Most people in the press are for big government. Most people think that the solution…

There's nothing shameful in acknowledging that you don't have the answers to every question about life. Just accept the fact that you know only…

Forcing people to be generous isn't humanitarian, effective, compassionate or moral. Only acts that are truly voluntary for all concerned can be truly compassionate.

Democratic politicians want to solve the crisis of poor education by taking more of your money and using it to reduce classroom sizes in…