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Columbus did not seek a new route to the Indies in response to a majority directive.

Milton Friedman

Columbus

Majority

One man's opportunism is another man's statesmanship.

Milton Friedman

Man

Statesmanship

Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless.

Milton Friedman

Government

I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal.

Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.

Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.

Milton Friedman

Government

Nothing

So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear. That there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system.

Milton Friedman

History

People

Well first of all, tell me, is there some society you know of that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run on greed? What is greed?

Universities exist to transmit knowledge and understanding of ideas and values to students not to provide entertainment for spectators or employment for athletes.

The world runs on individuals pursuing their self interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus. Einstein didn't construct his theory under order from a, from a bureaucrat. Henry Ford didn't revolutionize the automobile industry that way.

The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm, capitalism is that kind of a system.

The power to do good is also the power to do harm.

Milton Friedman

Power

Harm

The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.

Milton Friedman

Government

Solution

The only relevant test of the validity of a hypothesis is comparison of prediction with experience.

Milton Friedman

Experience

Validity

The most important ways in which I think the Internet will affect the big issue is that it will make it more difficult for government to collect taxes.