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Ludwig von Mises Quotes - Page 20

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Modern society, based as it is on the division of labor, can be preserved only under conditions of lasting peace.

Modern society, based as it is on the division of labor, can be preserved only under conditions of lasting peace.

Ludwig von Mises
Peace, War, Division Of Labor
Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The free and prosperous commonwealth: an exposition of the ideas of classical liberalism”

What matters is not the allocation of portions out of a fund presented to man by nature. The problem is rather to further those social institutions which enable people to continue and to enlarge the production of all those things which they need.

Ludwig von Mises
Men, What Matters, People
Ludwig Von Mises (1978). “Anti-Capitalistic Mentality, The”, p.81, Ludwig von Mises Institute

The prevailing legal and moral views of a time are held not only by those whom they benefit but by those, too, who appear to suffer from them. Their domination is expressed in that fact- that the people from whom they claim sacrifice accept them.

Ludwig von Mises
Sacrifice, Views, People
Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.65, VM eBooks

American authors or scientists are prone to consider the wealthy businessman as a barbarian, as a man exclusively intent upon making money.

Ludwig von Mises
Men, Barbarians, Making Money
Ludwig Von Mises (1978). “Anti-Capitalistic Mentality, The”, p.20, Ludwig von Mises Institute

Economics is a theoretical science and as such abstains from any judgement of value. It is not its task to tell people what ends they should aim at. It is a science of the means to be applied for attainment of ends chosen, not, to be sure, a science of the choosing of ends. Ultimate decisions, the valuations and the choosing of ends, are beyond the scope of any science. Science never tells a man how he should act; it merely shows how a man must act if he wants to attain definite ends.

Ludwig von Mises
Mean, Men, People
Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Human Action”, p.16, Lulu Press, Inc

There is in the universe something for the description and analysis of which the natural sciences cannot contribute anything. There are events beyond the range of those events that the procedures of the natural sciences are fit to observe and describe. There is human action.

Ludwig von Mises
Society, Events, Analysis
Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science: An Essay on Method”

Scientific criticism has no nobler task than to shatter false beliefs.

Ludwig von Mises
Criticism, Atheism, Tasks

There are for man only two principles available for a mental grasp of reality, namely, those of teleology and causality. What cannot be brought under either of these categories is absolutely hidden to the human mind. An event not open to an interpretation by one of these two principles is for man inconceivable and mysterious. Change can be conceived as the outcome either of the operation of mechanistic causality or of purposeful behavior; for the human mind there is no third way available.

Ludwig von Mises
Truth, Learning, Knowledge

Thus, the isolated interference with one or a few prices of consumer goods always bring about effects-and this is important to realize-which are even less satisfactory than the conditions that prevailed before.

Ludwig von Mises
Government, Important, Realizing
Ludwig Von Mises (2006). “Economic Policy: Thoughts for Today and Tomorrow”, p.45, Ludwig von Mises Institute

Reason's biological function is to preserve and promote life and to postpone its extinction as long as possible. Thinking and acting are not contrary to nature; they are, rather, the foremost features of man's nature. The most appropriate description of man as differentiated from nonhuman beings is: a being purposively struggling against the forces adverse to his life.

Ludwig von Mises
Struggle, Men, Thinking
Ludwig Von Mises (1963). “Human action: a treatise on economics”

The unprecedented success of Keynesianism is due to the fact that it provides an apparent justification for the 'deficit spending' policies of contemporary governments. It is the pseudo-philosophy of those who can think of nothing else than to dissipate the capital accumulated by previous generations.

Ludwig von Mises
Philosophy, Thinking, Government
Ludwig Von Mises (1974). “Planning for freedom, and twelve other essays and addresses”

Under the gold standard gold is money and money is gold. It is immaterial whether or not the laws assign legal tender quality only to gold coins minted by the government.

Ludwig von Mises
Government, Law, Quality
Ludwig Von Mises (1963). “Human action: a treatise on economics”

No increase in the welfare of the member of society can result from the availability of an additional quantity of money.

Ludwig von Mises
Availability, Welfare, Increase
Ludwig von Mises (2013). “The Theory of Money and Credit”, p.86, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

The tow pillars of democratic government are the primacy of the law and the budget.

Ludwig von Mises
Government, Law, Pillars
Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Bureaucracy: The Economist”, p.39, VM eBooks

Every specific tax, as well as the nation's whole tax system, becomes self-defeating above a certain height of the rates.

Ludwig von Mises
Self, Height, Certain

The member of a contractual society is free because he serves others only in serving himself. What restrains him is only the inevitable natural phenomenon of scarcity.

Ludwig von Mises
Society, Scarcity, Natural
Ludwig Von Mises (1990). “Economic freedom and interventionism: an anthology of articles and essays”

You have the courage to tell the masses what no politician told them: you are inferior and all the improvements in your conditions which you simply take for granted you owe to the effort of men who are better than you. If this be arrogance, as some of your critics observed, it is still the truth that had to said in the age of the Welfare State.

Ludwig von Mises
Men, Effort, Arrogance
Ludvig von Mises' letter to Ayn Rand praising Atlas Shrugged (January 23, 1958) as quoted in Jorg Guido Hulsmann "Mises: The Last Knight of Liberalism", September 4, 2007.

In all countries with a settled bureaucracy people used to say: The cabinets come and go, but the bureaus remain.

Ludwig von Mises
Country, People, Cabinets
Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Bureaucracy: The Economist”, p.52, VM eBooks

A lasting order cannot be established by bayonets.

Ludwig von Mises
Peace, War, Order
Ludwig Von Mises (1985). “Omnipotent Government: The Rise of the Total State and Total War”, Libertarian Press

Every man aims at avoiding what causes him pain; the activities of government ultimately consist in the infliction of pain. All great achievements of mankind were the product of a spontaneous effort on the part of individuals; government substitutes coercion for voluntary action.

Ludwig von Mises
Pain, Men, Effort
Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science: An Essay on Method”

Perhaps there are somewhere in the infinite universe beings whose minds outrank our minds to the same extent as our minds surpass those of the insects. Perhaps there will once somewhere live beings who will look upon us with the same condescension as we look upon amoebae.

Ludwig von Mises
Mind, Looks, Infinite
Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science: An Essay on Method”

Reason and action are congeneric and homogenous, two aspects of the same phenomenon.

Ludwig von Mises
Two, Action, Reason
Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science: An Essay on Method”

In the long run even the most despotic governments with all their brutality and cruelty are no match for ideas. Eventually the ideology that has won the support of the majority will prevail and cut the ground from under the tyrant's feet. Then the oppressed many will rise in rebellion and overthrow their masters.

Ludwig von Mises
Running, Cutting, Government
Ludwig von Mises (2016). “An Interpretation of Social and Economic Evolution: The Economist”, p.264, VM eBooks

Liberalism must be intolerant of every sort of intolerance.

Ludwig von Mises
Intolerance, Liberalism

What impels every man to the utmost exertion in the service of his fellow man. Is, in the market not compulsion on the part of gendarmes, hangmen and penal courts, it is self interest.

Ludwig von Mises
Men, Self, Fellow Man
Ludwig Von Mises (1990). “Economic freedom and interventionism: an anthology of articles and essays”

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