The Discovery of Freedom

The Discovery of Freedom(original emphasis):

Stupid men believe that force can improve other men’s morals; they want force to stop men’s drinking, or smoking, or gambling.  Superstition clouds their minds; they imagine that force can produce economic results; they demand that police clubs control the growth of crops, and the making of goods, and wages and prices and trade.  They dream that because a law can make any action a crime, it can stop that action….

To these ardent reformers who want to do good (as they see good) by using force upon the greatest number of their inferiors, add the groups of those who want to rob others by force without risking going to jail.  Since Government has the only legal use of force, all these groups try to persuade and compel the men in Government to use force as these reformers and these thieves want it used.

FROM: 1993 Fox & Wilkes re-issue of Rose Wilder Lane’s inspiring 1943 volume