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A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

Ludwig von Mises

Government is the only institution that can take a valuable commodity like paper, and make it worthless by applying ink.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Apply Government Ink Institution Paper Take Valuable Worthless
This is what capitalism, the much abused profit system, has brought about and brings about daily anew. Yet, most present-day governments and political parties are eager to destroy this system.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Abuse Capitalism Destroy Eager Government Most Profit System Yet
The flowering of human society depends on two factors: the intellectual power of outstanding men to conceive sound social and economic theories, and the ability of these or other men to make these ideologies palatable to the majority.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Conceive Economic Factor Flowrm Human Ideas Intellectual Men Outstanding Social Society Sound Two
The fundamental law of the market is: the customer is always right.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Customer Fundamentals Law Right
The issue is always the same: the government or the market. There is no third solution.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Always Government Issues Liberty Solution
The final outcome of the credit expansion is general impoverishment.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Credit Expansion Final General Impoverishment Outcome
The worship of the state is the worship of force. There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Civilization Evil Force Men State Worship
A new type of superstition has got hold of people’s minds, the worship of the state. People demand the exercise of the methods of coercion and compulsion, of violence and threat. Woe to anybody who does not bend his knee to the fashionable idols!
LUDWIG VON MISES

Mind New People State Superstitious Type Worship
Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Government Make Poorer Richer
Government spending cannot create additional jobs. If the government provides the funds required by taxing the citizens or by borrowing from the public, it abolishes on the one hand as many jobs as it creates on the other.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Additional Borrow Citizen Fund Government Job Provide Spend Taxi
To the masses, the catchwords of Socialism sound so enticing… so they will continue to work for Socialism, helping thereby to bring about the inevitable decline of the civilization which the nations of the West have taken thousands of years to build up.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Catchword Civilization Continue Help Inciting Mass Socialism Sound Taken Work Year
Liberty is meaningless if it is only the liberty to agree with those in power.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Agree Liberty Meaningless Only Power
Historical knowledge is indispensable for those who want to build a better world
LUDWIG VON MISES

Better Build Historical Indispensable Knowledge Want World
For destruction is the essence of it. It produces nothing, it only consumes what the social order based on private ownership in the means of production has created.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Create Destruction Essence Private Production Social
They do not realize that, in a system where there is no market, where the government directs everything, all those other freedoms are illusory, even if they are made into laws and written up in constitutions.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Constitution Direct Freedom Government Illusory Law Market Other System
All rational action is in the first place individual action. Only the individual thinks. Only the individual reasons. Only the individual acts.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Action First Rational Reason Think

A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

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A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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