We must face the fact that the preservation of individual freedom is incompatible with a full satisfaction of our views of distributive justice. Friedrich August von Hayek More Quotes by Friedrich August von Hayek More Quotes From Friedrich August von Hayek Many who think themselves infinitely superior to the aberrations of Nazism, and sincerely hate all manifestations, work at the same time for ideals whose realization would lead straight to the abhorred tyranny. Friedrich August von Hayek aberration hate thinking The more the state "plans" the more difficult planning becomes for the individual. Friedrich August von Hayek individual planning states The younger generation of today has grown up in a world in which in school and press the spirit of commercial enterprise has been represented as disreputable and the making of profit as immoral, where to employ a hundred people is represented as exploitation but to command the same number as honorable. Friedrich August von Hayek numbers people school The [classical] liberal, of course, does not deny that there are some superior people -- he is not an egalitarian -- but he denies that anyone has authority to decide who these superior people are. Friedrich August von Hayek individualism doe people There is only one '' principle that can preserve a free society: namely, the strict prevention of all coercion except in the enforcement of general abstract rules equally applicable to all. Friedrich August von Hayek enforcement prevention principles I am certain, however, that nothing has done so much to destroy the juridical safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice. Friedrich August von Hayek mirages freedom justice Any man who is only an economist is unlikely to be a good one. Friedrich August von Hayek unlikely economics men Money is one of the greatest instruments of freedom ever invented by man. It is money which in existing society opens an astounding range of choice to the poor man, a range greater than that which not many generations ago was open to the wealthy Friedrich August von Hayek generations choices men Fascism is the stage reached after communism has proved an illusion. Friedrich August von Hayek illusion socialism communism The guiding principle that a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy remains as true today as it was in the nineteenth century. Friedrich August von Hayek road-to-serfdom progressive individual Once wide coercive powers are given to governmental agencies for particular purposes, such powers cannot be effectively controlled by democratic assemblies. Friedrich August von Hayek assembly agency purpose Freedom necessarily means that many things will be done which we do not like. Friedrich August von Hayek done mean Capitalism created the possibility of employment. Friedrich August von Hayek capitalism possibility employment The history of government management of money has, except for a few short happy periods, been one of incessant fraud and deception. Friedrich August von Hayek deception government management The economic freedom which is the prerequisite of any other freedom cannot be the freedom from economic care which the socialist promise us, and which can be obtained only by relieving the individual at the same time of the necessity and of the power of choice: it must be the freedom of economic activity which, with the right of choice, inevitably also carries the risk and the responsibility of that right Friedrich August von Hayek risk choices responsibility When we ask what ought to be the relative remunerations of a nurse or a butcher, or a coal miner and a judge at a high court, of the deep sea diver of the cleaner of sewers, of the organiser of a new industry and a jockey, of the inspector of taxes and the inventor of a life-saving drug, of the jet-pilot or the professor of mathematics, the appeal to 'social justice' does not give us the slightest help in deciding. Friedrich August von Hayek coal-miners sea justice Our freedom of choice in a competitive society rests on the fact that, if one person refuses to satisfy our wishes, we can turn to another. But if we face a monopolist we are at his absolute mercy. And an authority directing the whole economic system of the country would be the most powerful monopolist conceivable…it would have complete power to decide what we are to be given and on what terms. It would not only decide what commodities and services were to be available and in what quantities; it would be able to direct their distributions between persons to any degree it liked. Friedrich August von Hayek powerful choices country Nobody with open eyes can any longer doubt that the danger to personal freedom comes chiefly from the left. Friedrich August von Hayek eye danger doubt Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one's government is not necessarily to secure freedom. Friedrich August von Hayek our-generation freedom government In government, the scum rises to the top. Friedrich August von Hayek scum libertarian government