--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The State, of course, is absolutely…" description: "\"The State, of course, is absolutely indispensable to the preservation of law and order, and the promotion of peace and social cooperation. What is unn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/henry-hazlitt-2839_cooperation_the-state-of-course-is-absolutely-indisp_2516695.jpg" --- # The State, of course, is absolutely indispensable to the… ![“The State, of course, is absolutely indispensable to the preservation of law and order, and the promotion of peace and social cooperation. What is unnecessary and evil, what abridges the liberty and threatens the true welfare of the individual, is the State that has usurped excessive powers and…” quote by Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/henry-hazlitt-2839_cooperation_the-state-of-course-is-absolutely-indisp_2516695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/henry-hazlitt-2839_cooperation_the-state-of-course-is-absolutely-indisp_2516695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d5/henry-hazlitt-2839_cooperation_the-state-of-course-is-absolutely-indisp_2516695.jpg) > “The State, of course, is absolutely indispensable to the preservation of law and order, and the promotion of peace and social cooperation. What is unnecessary and evil, what abridges the liberty and threatens the true welfare of the individual, is the State that has usurped excessive powers and grown beyond its legitimate function - the super-State, the socialist State, the redistributive State, in brief, the ironically misnamed 'Welfare State.'” [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warns that an overreaching state can become oppressive, undermining individual liberty and welfare. **In simple terms:** Excessive government power harms freedom. Key Takeaway Guard against concentration of state authority. Themes politics freedom government economics Mood critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy debates - legislative reform - civil rights activism - public budgeting Key Concepts authoritarianism state overreach libertarianism Questions to Reflect On - What powers should be limited? - How to ensure state serves rather than dominates? A Different Perspective Balancing security and liberty is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law and order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-and-order/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Preservation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preservation/) [Promotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promotion/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [Welfare state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-state/) ## Related quotes > [Healthcare is the cornerstone of the socialist state. 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In the liberal welfare state, one develops an entitlement mentality. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/nothing-more-guarantees-the-erosion-of-character-than-getting/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) ## More by Henry Hazlitt > [It is often sadly remarked that the bad economists present their errors to the public better than the good economists present their truths. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/it-is-often-sadly-remarked-that-the-bad-economists-present-their/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“This is perhaps as good a place as any to point out that what distinguishes many reformers from those who cannot accept their proposals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/this-is-perhaps-as-good-a-place-as-any-to-point-out-that-what/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [Government can't give us anything without depriving us of something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/government-can-t-give-us-anything-without-depriving-us-of-something/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [When the government makes loans or subsidies to business, what it does is to tax successful private business in order to support unsuccessful private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/when-the-government-makes-loans-or-subsidies-to-business-what-it-does/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“The analysis of our illustrations has taught us another incidental lesson. 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But this does not mean that property destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/the-desperate-need-to-get-back-to-normal-housing-and-other-living/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [Yet it ought to be clear that a minimum wage law is, at best, a limited weapon for combatting the evil of low wages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/yet-it-ought-to-be-clear-that-a-minimum-wage-law-is-at-best-a-limited/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [“It is a misconception to think of the function or result of machines as primarily one of creating jobs . The real result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/it-is-a-misconception-to-think-of-the-function-or-result-of-machines/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [A certain amount of taxes is of course indispensable to carry on essential government functions. 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