--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I'm very libertarian in the sense…" description: "\"But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.\" — Ste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png" --- # But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in… ![“But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.” quote by Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png) > “But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.” [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates minimal state intervention and personal liberty, opposing coercive moral enforcement. **In simple terms:** Small government, individual freedom Key Takeaway Libertarianism resists value imposition Themes political philosophy individual rights government size personal autonomy libertarianism Mood thoughtful assertive Type political statement philosophical observation When to use this quote - policy debates - public discourse - legislative drafting - civic education Key Concepts state authority ethical pluralism civil liberty Practical Applications - advocacy writing - political analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does limited government affect social equity? - When is state intervention justified? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Small government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-government/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“The free market, in its widest libertarian sense including all un-coerced activity whether trade or gift, can produce perpetually increasing software wealth for everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-free-market-in-its-widest-libertarian-sense-including-all-un/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [I'm not a libertarian in the sense that I think all these social programs should be abolished in any sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-m-not-a-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-think-all-these-social/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [“The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-problem-with-the-internet-startup-craze-isn-t-that-too-many/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [ \[T\]he values to which people cling most stubbornly under inappropriate conditions are those values that were previously the source of their greatest triumphs. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/t-he-values-to-which-people-cling-most-stubbornly-under-inappropriate/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [Our vision is to make a tangible difference at the intersection of those values and people's lives, shining light on critical issues as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-mills/our-vision-is-to-make-a-tangible-difference-at-the-intersection-of/) [Patty Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-mills/) > [“Maslow's five values are the values for which people live when they have nothing to live for. Nothing has seized them, nothing has caught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/maslow-s-five-values-are-the-values-for-which-people-live-when-they/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Could we chose to amend the rules of the game to create a society that values people over profits, life over pollution, mutual care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-robin/could-we-chose-to-amend-the-rules-of-the-game-to-create-a-society/) [Vicki Robin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-robin/) > [“We have made money our god and called it the good life. We have trained our children to go for jobs hat bring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/we-have-made-money-our-god-and-called-it-the-good-life-we-have/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [how can one respect, let alone adopt, the values of a people who do not, on any level whatever, live the way they say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-one-respect-let-alone-adopt-the-values-of-a-people-who-do-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's the thing you learn about values: they're what people make up to justify what they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/that-s-the-thing-you-learn-about-values-they-re-what-people-make-up/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [I think he was absolutely right not to go to UN last week... First things first - that is, values and people here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hewitt/i-think-he-was-absolutely-right-not-to-go-to-un-last-week-first/) [Patricia Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hewitt/) > [Civilization depends upon the vigorous pursuit of the highest values by people who are intelligent enough to know that their values are qualified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/civilization-depends-upon-the-vigorous-pursuit-of-the-highest-values/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The history in our country speaks to our highest values of people who did not accept things as they are and go along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/the-history-in-our-country-speaks-to-our-highest-values-of-people-who/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [The hope of free people in a frightened world is the values which people put ahead of inventions when their backs are to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-washington-sockman/the-hope-of-free-people-in-a-frightened-world-is-the-values-which/) [Ralph Washington Sockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-washington-sockman/) > [I have always felt very fortunate to be have good people. You know, talent will carry you for so far but the values of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hartley/i-have-always-felt-very-fortunate-to-be-have-good-people-you-know/) [Bob Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hartley/) ## More by Stephen Harper > [We're always willing to look at ways NAFTA can work better. But it's a fine line between looking at ways to make it work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-re-always-willing-to-look-at-ways-nafta-can-work-better-but-it-s-a/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/in-terms-of-the-unemployed-of-which-we-have-over-a-million-and-a-half/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The media is tremendously important for all governments that are able to communicate through the it. It doesn't mean there is a balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-media-is-tremendously-important-for-all-governments-that-are-able/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people at, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-think-when-ordinary-working-people-come-home-turn-on-the-tv-and-see/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The world is now unipolar and contains o-nly o-ne superpower. Canada shares a continent with that superpower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-world-is-now-unipolar-and-contains-o-nly-o-ne-superpower-canada/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [I forget what the relevant American rate is, but I can tell you that our goal is to have a combined federal-provincial corporate tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-forget-what-the-relevant-american-rate-is-but-i-can-tell-you-that/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The jackasses at Elections Canada are out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-jackasses-at-elections-canada-are-out-of-control/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [I will strive to make this not the highest-spending country in the world, but instead the lowest taxing o-ne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-will-strive-to-make-this-not-the-highest-spending-country-in-the/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [ I think what everybody believes and agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach \[to the drug trade\] is not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-think-what-everybody-believes-and-agrees-with-and-to-be-frank/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The job numbers are positive. We've had more jobs created now than were lost during the recession. We're seeing that the creation, we're seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-job-numbers-are-positive-we-ve-had-more-jobs-created-now-than/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [After all, enforced national bilingualism in this country isn't mere policy. It has attained the status of a religion. It's a dogma which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/after-all-enforced-national-bilingualism-in-this-country-isn-t-mere/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-ve-got-to-see-a-state-where-the-afghan-government-can-handle-its/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [It is imperative to take the initiative, to build firewalls around Alberta, to limit the extent to which an aggressive and hostile federal government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/it-is-imperative-to-take-the-initiative-to-build-firewalls-around/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [Whether Canada ends up with one national government or two governments or 10 governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/whether-canada-ends-up-with-one-national-government-or-two/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [I believe that all taxes are bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-believe-that-all-taxes-are-bad/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) [Explore all 131 Stephen Harper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Harper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-believe-in-small/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-believe-in-small/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32a/stephen-harper-3432_believe_but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-th_36028.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't…” — Stephen Harper", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen Harper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But I'm very libertarian in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-believe-in-small/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/but-i-m-very-libertarian-in-the-sense-that-i-believe-in-small/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```