Best Quotes by Milton Friedman (Top 10)

  1. A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.
  2. One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.
  3. Government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens from crimes against themselves or their property. When government— in pursuit of good intentions tries to rearrange the economy, legislate morality, or help special interests, the cost come in inefficiency, lack of motivation, and loss of freedom. Government should be a referee, not an active player.
  4. The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another.
  5. Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.
  6. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
  7. I am favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible.
  8. Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.
  9. Governments never learn. Only people learn.
  10. Society doesn't have values. People have values.

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