Legal plunder has two roots: One, as we have just seen, is in human selfishness; the other is in false philanthropy. — Frederic Bastiat Humans Copy Share Image
“The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else.” — Frederic Bastiat Fiction Copy Share Image
“The law has been perverted through the influence of two very different causes—bare egotism and false philanthropy.” — Frédéric Bastiat Law Copy Share Image
“In the first place, the word universal conceals a gross sophism.” — Frédéric Bastiat First place Copy Share Image
Slavery, protection, and monopoly find defenders, not only in those who profit by them, but in those who suffer by them. — Frederic Bastiat Defenders Copy Share Image
Trade barriers constitute isolation; isolation gives rise to hatred, hatred to war, and war to invasion. — Frederic Bastiat Barriers Copy Share Image
The mind never fully accepts any convictions that it does not owe to its own efforts. — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
“I cannot possibly understand how fraternity can be legally enforced without liberty being legally destroyed...” — Frédéric Bastiat Fraternity Copy Share Image
There is in all of a strong disposition to believe that anything lawful is also legitimate. This belief is so widespread that… — Frederic Bastiat Belief Copy Share Image
If everyone enjoyed the unrestricted use of his faculties and the free disposition of the fruits of his labor, social progress would… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty,… — Frederic Bastiat First place Copy Share Image
“Another effect of this deplorable perversion of the law is, that it gives to human passions and to political struggles, and, in… — Frédéric Bastiat Laws Copy Share Image
It is not true that the legislator has absolute power over our persons and property. The existence of persons and property preceded… — Frederic Bastiat Absolute power Copy Share Image
Trade protection accumulates upon a single point the good which it effects, while the evil inflicted is infused throughout the mass. The… — Frederic Bastiat Evil Copy Share Image
People are beginning to realize that the apparatus of government is costly. But what they do not know is that the burden… — Frederic Bastiat Burden Copy Share Image
The mission of law is not to oppress persons and plunder them of their property, even thought the law may be acting… — Frederic Bastiat Acting Copy Share Image
It is not true that the legislator has absolute power over our persons and property, since they pre-exist, and his work is… — Frederic Bastiat Absolute power Copy Share Image
When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful… — Frederic Bastiat Catastrophe Copy Share Image
And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they… — Frederic Bastiat Acknowledgment Copy Share Image
But we assure the socialists that we repudiate only forced organization, not natural organization. We repudiate the forms of association that are… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
It must be admitted that the tendency of the human race toward liberty is largely thwarted, especially in France. This is greatly… — Frederic Bastiat Affair Copy Share Image
In fact, if law were restricted to protecting all persons, all liberties, and all properties; if law were nothing more than the… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
I find it hard to understand why those who demand Unitary Education by the State do not also demand a Unitary Press… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
If socialists mean that under extraordinary circumstances, for urgent cases, the State should set aside some resources to assist certain unfortunate people,… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
Legal plunder can be committed in an infinite number of ways; hence, there are an infinite number of plans for organizing it:… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
Thus, if there exists a law which sanctions slavery or monopoly, oppression or robbery, in any form whatever, it must not even… — Frederic Bastiat Conflict Copy Share Image
“Which countries contain the most peaceful, the most moral, and the happiest people? Those people are found in the countries where the… — Frédéric Bastiat Character Copy Share Image
The mission of the law is not to oppress persons and plunder them of their property, even though the law may be… — Frederic Bastiat Acting Copy Share Image
“Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Thus the beneficiaries are spared the shame and danger that their acts would… — Frédéric Bastiat Copy Share Image
Now since man is naturally inclined to avoid pain - and since labor is pain in itself - it follows that men… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
When, then, does plunder stop? It stops when it becomes more painful and more dangerous than labor. — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. — Frederic Bastiat Fiction Copy Share Image
“...for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works.” — Frédéric Bastiat Acknowledgment Copy Share Image
It is easier to show the disorder that must accompany reform than the order that should follow it. — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
The law can be an instrument of equalization only as it takes from some persons and gives to other persons. When the… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
“the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes. For” — Frédéric Bastiat Freedom Copy Share Image
There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect;… — Frederic Bastiat Copy Share Image
Countries which enjoy the highest level of peace, happiness and prosperity are the ones where the law least interfered with private affairs. — Frederic Bastiat Affair Copy Share Image
“And now, after having vainly inflicted upon the social body so many systems, let them end where they ought to have begun—reject… — Frédéric Bastiat Faith in god Copy Share Image
“Do not the legislators and their agents form a part of the human race? Do they consider that they are composed of… — Frédéric Bastiat Human race Copy Share Image
