--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even when men approve of the same…" description: "\"Even when men approve of the same arrangements, it must be asked whether they approve of them because they exist or because they are desirable in thems..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_admiration_even-when-men-approve-of-the-same-arrang_2054029.jpg" --- # Even when men approve of the same arrangements, it must be… ![“Even when men approve of the same arrangements, it must be asked whether they approve of them because they exist or because they are desirable in themselves. The common resistance to the collectivist tide should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the belief in integral freedom is based on an…” quote by Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_admiration_even-when-men-approve-of-the-same-arrang_2054029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_admiration_even-when-men-approve-of-the-same-arrang_2054029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_admiration_even-when-men-approve-of-the-same-arrang_2054029.jpg) > “Even when men approve of the same arrangements, it must be asked whether they approve of them because they exist or because they are desirable in themselves. The common resistance to the collectivist tide should not be allowed to obscure the fact that the belief in integral freedom is based on an essentially forward-looking attitude and not on any nostalgic longing for the past or a romantic admiration for what has been.” [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions whether approval of social arrangements stems from their existence or intrinsic value, emphasizing forward‑looking freedom over nostalgia. **In simple terms:** Ask if support is for the system itself or its benefits. Key Takeaway Prioritize freedom based on future potential. Themes freedom politics philosophy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy debates - social reform - educational curricula - public discourse Key Concepts libertarianism collectivism integral freedom Questions to Reflect On - What values drive your support of current institutions? - How can we balance future goals with present realities? A Different Perspective May overlook practical benefits of existing structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admiration/) [Arrangements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrangements/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nostalgic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgic/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) ## Related quotes > [Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of "emergency". It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [If anarcho-communism served to regiment the population in the name of libertarian unity, if it served in any way through collectivist measures to deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/if-anarcho-communism-served-to-regiment-the-population-in-the-name-of/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Every collectivist assumes a different source for the collective will, according to his own political, religious and national convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/every-collectivist-assumes-a-different-source-for-the-collective-will/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“The majority of the world is collectivist, but the majority of business and leadership literature is written by and for individualists. So it's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/the-majority-of-the-world-is-collectivist-but-the-majority-of/) [David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/) ## More by Friedrich August von Hayek > [The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-system-of-private-property-is-the-most-important-guaranty-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [By the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/by-the-time-any-view-becomes-a-majority-view-it-is-no-longer-the-best/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Freedom can be preserved only if it is treated as a supreme principle which must not be sacrificed for particular advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/freedom-can-be-preserved-only-if-it-is-treated-as-a-supreme-principle/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Should our moral beliefs really prove to be dependent on factual assumptions shown to be incorrect, it would be hardly moral to defend them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/should-our-moral-beliefs-really-prove-to-be-dependent-on-factual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Unlike the rationalism of the French Revolution, true liberalism has no quarrel with religion, and I can only deplore the militant and essentially illiberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/unlike-the-rationalism-of-the-french-revolution-true-liberalism-has/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage… Unless we can make the philosophic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-make-the-building-of-a-free-society-once-more-an-intellectual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The central problem of management is how spontaneous interaction of people within a firm, each possessing only bits of knowledge, can bring about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-central-problem-of-management-is-how-spontaneous-interaction-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The discussions of every age are filled with the issues on which its leading schools of thought differ. 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It is probably one of the essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/human-envy-is-certainly-not-one-of-the-sources-of-discontent-that-a/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) [Explore all 244 Friedrich August von Hayek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## More Admiration quotes > [I have tremendous admiration for companies with the kind of pioneering spirit and innovation eBay has demonstrated from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/i-have-tremendous-admiration-for-companies-with-the-kind-of/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [The older you've gotten, the more respect and admiration you've received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jupp-heynckes/the-older-you-ve-gotten-the-more-respect-and-admiration-you-ve/) [Jupp Heynckes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jupp-heynckes/) > [I still don't feel I know Hitchcock at all. 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