--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Libertarianism is supposed to be all…" description: "\"“Libertarianism is supposed to be all about principles, but what it's really about is political expedience. It's basically a corporate front, masked as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/jane-mayer-1031_libertarianism_libertarianism-is-supposed-to-be-all-abo_1528088.png" --- # Libertarianism is supposed to be all about principles, but… ![“Libertarianism is supposed to be all about principles, but what it's really about is political expedience. It's basically a corporate front, masked as philosophy.” quote by Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/jane-mayer-1031_libertarianism_libertarianism-is-supposed-to-be-all-abo_1528088.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/jane-mayer-1031_libertarianism_libertarianism-is-supposed-to-be-all-abo_1528088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/jane-mayer-1031_libertarianism_libertarianism-is-supposed-to-be-all-abo_1528088.png) > ““Libertarianism is supposed to be all about principles, but what it's really about is political expedience. It's basically a corporate front, masked as philosophy.”” [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Libertarianism is portrayed as principle‑driven but often serves corporate interests under the guise of philosophy. **In simple terms:** Ideology can hide corporate motives. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate political movements. Themes politics ideology corporate influence Mood critical skeptical Type political analytical When to use this quote - voting decisions - activism - media consumption - policy analysis Key Concepts philosophy public policy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports this claim? - How can one discern genuine principle from expedience? A Different Perspective Not all libertarians are insincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Libertarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism/) [Libertarianism Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism-supposed-5663902/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Political Expedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-expedience-5663903/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics-of-the-united-states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-of-the-united-states/) [Principles Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles-really-1288624/) [Supposed Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-principles-4608447/) ## Related quotes > [While the ACLU's supposed principles may shift with the political winds, facts do not. They cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-wolf/while-the-aclu-s-supposed-principles-may-shift-with-the-political/) [Chad Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-wolf/) > [The truth of good economic doctoring is to know the general principles, and to really know the specifics. 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That's one of the risks you take.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/in-america-anyone-can-become-president-that-s-one-of-the-risks-you/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [“The biggest fool is the person or nation that thinks America is their friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/the-biggest-fool-is-the-person-or-nation-that-thinks-america-is-their/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“Americans expect the president to right the wrongs that plague us—and we blame him when he fails. Because we invest impossible expectations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-healy/americans-expect-the-president-to-right-the-wrongs-that-plague-us-and/) [Gene Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-healy/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“Violence isn't a Democrat or Republican problem. It's an American problem, requiring an American solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashanne-stokes/violence-isn-t-a-democrat-or-republican-problem-it-s-an-american/) [DaShanne Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashanne-stokes/) > [“Indeed, it's not a stretch to say that most voters no longer choose their representatives; instead, representatives choose their voters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/indeed-it-s-not-a-stretch-to-say-that-most-voters-no-longer-choose/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Washington was no politician as we understand the word," replied Ratcliffe abruptly. "He stood outside of politics. The thing couldn't be done today. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/washington-was-no-politician-as-we-understand-the-word-replied/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) ## More by Jane Mayer > [“David Brock, a conservative apostate who became a liberal activist, described the Heritage Foundation, where he was a young fellow, as almost completely under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/david-brock-a-conservative-apostate-who-became-a-liberal-activist/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The early think tank was not a spy operation, but it was funded by wealthy men who had no objections to using pretexts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-early-think-tank-was-not-a-spy-operation-but-it-was-funded-by/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Americans for Prosperity annoyed some of the Tea Partiers,” recalls the libertarian blogger Ralph Benko. “These people drove up, opened the door, put T-shirts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/americans-for-prosperity-annoyed-some-of-the-tea-partiers-recalls-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“When Barack Obama took office, the fossil fuel industry was not only eager to preserve its perks but also more militant in its opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/when-barack-obama-took-office-the-fossil-fuel-industry-was-not-only/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [If you have an informed electorate, it makes great choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/if-you-have-an-informed-electorate-it-makes-great-choices/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ One of the oddities of this election is the man that \[Donald\] Trump chose as his vice-president, Mike Pence, is one of the Kochs'… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/one-of-the-oddities-of-this-election-is-the-man-that-donald-trump/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The candidates promised to cut taxes for those in the highest brackets, preserve Wall Street loopholes, tolerate the off-shoring of manufacturing jobs and profits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-candidates-promised-to-cut-taxes-for-those-in-the-highest/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Amway in fact was structured to avoid federal taxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/amway-in-fact-was-structured-to-avoid-federal-taxes/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“radicals in Congress refused to back down, bringing virtually the entire federal government to a halt for sixteen days in October, leaving the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/radicals-in-congress-refused-to-back-down-bringing-virtually-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [What I write about is how much influence it's had in things like state legislatures and governorships and congressional races. The other thing that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/what-i-write-about-is-how-much-influence-it-s-had-in-things-like/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Two months into their tenure, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee also led a crusade against alternative, renewable energy programs. They successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/two-months-into-their-tenure-republicans-on-the-house-energy-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ \[The Kochs\] they hate big government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-kochs-they-hate-big-government/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, explains that private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/rob-reich-a-professor-of-political-science-at-stanford-university-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“During the previous eight years of Republican rule, this conservative corporate elite had consolidated its power, amassing enormous sway over the U.S. government’s regulatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/during-the-previous-eight-years-of-republican-rule-this-conservative/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Noble again chose Larry McCarthy, the veteran media consultant who was known for his ability to distill a complicated subject into a simple, potent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/noble-again-chose-larry-mccarthy-the-veteran-media-consultant-who-was/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) [Explore all 305 Jane Mayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## More Libertarianism quotes > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“Socialists and Progressives confuse compassion and compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-samaan/socialists-and-progressives-confuse-compassion-and-compulsion/) [A.E. Samaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-samaan/) > [Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/do-not-suppose-that-abuses-are-eliminated-by-destroying-the-object/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [It must never be unpatriotic to support your country against your government. It must always be unpatriotic to support your government against your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-t-byington/it-must-never-be-unpatriotic-to-support-your-country-against-your/) [Steven T. Byington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-t-byington/) > [“The fact is that libertarianism is not and does not pretend to be a complete moral or aesthetic theory; it is only a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-n-rothbard/the-fact-is-that-libertarianism-is-not-and-does-not-pretend-to-be-a/) [Murray N. Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/) > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Economic freedom is an essential requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction, it reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/economic-freedom-is-an-essential-requisite-for-political-freedom-by/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [America was born of revolt, flourished in dissent, became great through experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/america-was-born-of-revolt-flourished-in-dissent-became-great-through/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [Men who have greatness within them don't go in for politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/men-who-have-greatness-within-them-don-t-go-in-for-politics/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another one's belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another one's right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-one-s-belief-but-it/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-history-of-liberty-is-the-history-of-limitations-on-the-power-of/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“If you require force to promote your ideal, there is something wrong with your ideal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jsb-morse/if-you-require-force-to-promote-your-ideal-there-is-something-wrong/) [JSB Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jsb-morse/) [Browse all 552 Libertarianism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Libertarianism is supposed to be all about principles, but what it's really about is political expedience. 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