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The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning. Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom.

Ludwig von Mises

[E]conomic history is a long record of government policies that failed because they were designed with a bold disregard for the laws of economics
LUDWIG VON MISES

Bold Design Disregard Economic Fail History Law Long Political Record
Every socialist is a disguised dictator.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Dictator Disguise Socialist
German Marxian’s coined the dictum: If socialism is against human nature, then human nature must be changed.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Against Change Coin Country Human Human Nature Nature Philosophy Political Socialism
True, governments can reduce the rate of interest in the short run. They can issue additional paper money.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Additional Government Interest Issue Money Paper Rate Reduce Run Running Short
It is vain to fight totalitarianism by adopting totalitarian methods. Freedom can only be won by men unconditionally committed to the principles of freedom.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Adopt Fight Method Totalitarian Vain
The riches of successful entrepreneurs is not the cause of anybody’s poverty; it is the consequence of the fact that the consumers are better supplied than they would have been in the absence of the entrepreneur’s efforts.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Anybody Effort Entrepreneur Poverty Successful
The market is a democracy in which every penny gives a right to vote.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Democracy Enny Give Giving Market Pennies
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
None can stand aside with unconcern; the interest of everyone hangs on the result. Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the great historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Approach Battle Decisive Hang None Plunged Result Unconcern
The most important thing to remember is that inflation is not an act of God, that inflation is not a catastrophe of the elements or a disease that comes like the plague. Inflation is a policy.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Act God Important Inflation Most Remember Things
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
The real bosses in the capitalist system of market economy are the consumers. They by their buying and by their abstention from buying decide who should own the capital and run the plants. They determine what should be produced and in what quantity and quality.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Attitude Boss Capital Consumer Economic Market Real Running System
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
The philosophy underlying the system of progressive taxation is that the income and wealth of the well-to-do classes can be freely tapped.
LUDWIG VON MISES

Class Freely Philosophy Progressive Tap Taxation Wealth
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

The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning. Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom.

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The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning. Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom.

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Popular Authors

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