The history of mankind is the history of ideas. Ludwig von Mises More Quotes by Ludwig von Mises More Quotes From Ludwig von Mises People must learn that the accumulation of wealth by the successful Ludwig von Mises successfulevilpeople As the prosperity of the nation and the height of wage rates depend on a continual increase in the capital invested in its plants, mines and farms, it is one of the foremost tasks of good government to remove all obstacles that hinder the accumulation and investment of new capital. Ludwig von Mises heightgovernmentgold To the masses, the catchwords of Socialism sound so enticing... so they will continue to work for Socialism, helping thereby to bring about the inevitable decline of the civilization which the nations of the West have taken thousands of years to build up. Ludwig von Mises takencivilizationyears A free press can only exist where there is private control over the means of production Ludwig von Mises free-pressproductionsmean What vitiates entirely the socialists economic critique of capitalism is their failure to grasp the sovereignty of the consumers in the market economy. Ludwig von Mises sovereigntyeconomiceconomy Keynes did not teach us how to perform the miracle of turning a stone into bread, but the not at all miraculous procedure of eating the seed corn. Ludwig von Mises cornmiraclestones Private property creates for the individual a sphere in which he is free of the state. It sets limits to the operation of the authoritarian will. It allows other forces to arise side by side with and in opposition to political power. It thus becomes the basis of all those activities that are free from violent interference on the part of the state. It is the soil in which the seeds of freedom are nurtured and in which the autonomy of the individual and ultimately all intellectual and material progress are rooted. Ludwig von Mises progresspoliticalintellectual The whole of mankind's progress has had to be achieved against the resistance and opposition of the state and its power of coercion. Ludwig von Mises resistanceprogresscoercion All varieties of interference with the market phenomena not only fail to achieve the ends aimed at by their authors and supporters, but bring about a state of affairs which - from the point of view of their authors and advocates valuations - is less desirable than the previous state of affairs which they were designed to alter. Ludwig von Mises failinglibertyviews The gold standard makes the money's purchasing power independent of the changing, ambitions and doctrines of political parties and pressure groups. This is not a defect of the gold standard; it is its main excellence. Ludwig von Mises independentpartyambition There is no use in deceiving ourselves. American public opinion rejects the market economy, the capitalistic free enterprise system that provided the nation with the highest standard of living ever attained. Full government control of all activities of the individual is virtually the goal of both national parties. Ludwig von Mises partygovernmentgoal The salesman thanks the customer for patronizing his shop and asks him to come again. But the socialists say: Be grateful to Hitler, render thanks to Stalin; be nice and submissive, then the great man will be kind to you later too. Ludwig von Mises gratefulnicemen If people do not consume their whole incomes, the non-consumed surplus can be invested, it increases the amount of capital goods available and thereby makes it possible to embark upon projects which could not be executed before. Ludwig von Mises increaseincomepeople Liberalism and capitalism address themselves to the cool, well-balanced mind. They proceed by strict logic, eliminating any appeal to the emotions. Socialism, on the contrary, works on the emotions, tries to violate logical considerations by rousing a sense of personal interest and to stifle the voice of reason by awakening primitive instincts. Ludwig von Mises voicemindtrying The consumers are merciless. They never buy in order to benefit a less efficient producer and to protect him against the consequences of his failure to manage better. They want to be served as well as possible. And the working of the capitalist system forces the entrepreneur to obey the orders issued by the consumers. Ludwig von Mises benefitsentrepreneurorder The market economy as such does not respect political frontiers. Its field is the world. Ludwig von Mises politicalbusinessdoe Government spending cannot create additional jobs. If the government provides the funds required by taxing the citizens or by borrowing from the public, it abolishes on the one hand as many jobs as it creates on the other. Ludwig von Mises governmentjobsthinking Economic theory has demonstrated in an irrefutable way that a prosperity created by an expansionist monetary and credit policy is illusory and must end in a slump, an economic crisis. Ludwig von Mises slumpscreditway An essential point in the social philosophy of interventionism is the existence of an inexhaustible fund which can be squeezed forever. The whole system of interventionism collapses when the fountain is drained off: The Santa Clause principle liquidates itself. Ludwig von Mises principlesforeverphilosophy What those people who ask for equality have in mind is always an increase in their own power to consume. Ludwig von Mises mindjusticepeople
