Ludwig von Mises Quotes About Socialism

Quotes about: Socialism

• A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Men, Two, Doe

  Ludwig Von Mises (1963). “Human action: a treatise on economics”

• Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Men, Alternatives, Politics

  Ludwig Von Mises (1963). “Human action: a treatise on economics”

• The champions of socialism call themselves progressives, but they recommend a system which is characterized by rigid observance of routine and by a resistance to every kind of improvement. They call themselves liberals, but they are intent upon abolishing liberty. They call themselves democrats, but they yearn for dictatorship. They call themselves revolutionaries, but they want to make the government omnipotent. They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Every man but one a subordinate clerk in a bureau.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Men, Garden, Blessing

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Bureaucracy: The Economist”, p.115, VM eBooks

• If one rejects laissez faire on account of mans fallibility and moral weakness, one must for the same reason also reject every kind of government action.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Government, Weakness, Laissez Faire

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

• For it is an essential difference between capitalist and socialist production that under capitalism men provide for themselves, while under Socialism they are provided for.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Men, Differences, Liberty

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.409, VM eBooks

• Capitalism means free enterprise, sovereignty of the consumers in economic matters, and sovereignty of the voters in political matters. Socialism means full government control of every sphere of the individuals life and the unrestricted supremacy of the government in its capacity as central board of production management.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Mean, Government, Political

  Ludwig Von Mises (1944). “Bureaucracy”

• The issue is always the same: the government or the market. There is no third solution.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Issues, Government, Liberty

  Ludwig Von Mises (1947). “Planned Chaos”, p.15, Ludwig von Mises Institute

• There is simply no other choice than this: either to abstain from interference in the free play of the market, or to delegate the entire management of production and distribution to the government. Either capitalism or socialism: there exists no middle way.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Government, Play, Choices

  Ludwig Von Mises (1962). “The free and prosperous commonwealth: an exposition of the ideas of classical liberalism”

• What pushes the masses into the camp of socialism is, even more than the illusion that socialism will make them richer, the expectation that it will curb all those who are better than they themselves are.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Envy, Expectations, Socialism

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

• The Welfare State is merely a method for transforming the market economy step by step into socialism.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Steps, Socialism, Welfare

• 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

  Voice, Mind, Trying

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.465, VM eBooks

• Capitalism and socialism are two distinct patterns of social organization. Private control of the means of production and public control are contradictory notions and not merely contrary notions. There is no such thing as a mixed economy, a system that would stand midway between capitalism and socialism.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Mean, Organization, Two

• 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

  Nice, Grateful, Men

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

• Socialism is not in the least what it pretends to be. It is not the pioneer of a better and finer world, but the spoiler of what thousands of years of civilization have created. It does not build, it destroys. For destruction is the essence of it. It produces nothing, it only consumes what the social order based on private ownership in the means of production has created.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Mean, Order, Years

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.414, VM eBooks

• Tyranny is the political corollary of socialism, as representative government is the political corollary of the market economy.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Government, Political, Socialism

  Ludwig Von Mises (2008). “Planning for Freedom: Let the Market System Work : a Collection of Essays and Addresses”

• The word "Capitalism" expresses, for our age, the sum of all evil. Even the opponents of Socialism are dominated by socialist ideas.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Ideas, Evil, Age

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.2, VM eBooks

• The desire for an increase of wealth can be satisfied through exchange, which is the only method possible in a capitalist economy, or by violence and petition as in a militarist society, where the strong acquire by force, the weak by petitioning.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Strong, Capitalist Economy, Desire

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.336, VM eBooks

• Inflationism, however, is not an isolated phenomenon. It is only one piece in the total framework of politico-economic and socio-philosophical ideas of our time. Just as the sound money policy of gold standard advocates went hand in hand with liberalism, free trade, capitalism and peace, so is inflationism part and parcel of imperialism, militarism, protectionism, statism and socialism.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Philosophical, Hands, Ideas

  Ludwig Von Mises (1978). “On the Manipulation of Money and Credit”, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. : Free Market Books

• The main propoganda trick of supporters of the allegedly "progressive" policy of government control is to blame capitalism for all that is unsatisfactory in present-day conditions and to extol the blessings of socialism. They have never attempted to prove their fallacious dogmas, all they did was to call their adversaries names and cast suspicion upon their motives. And, unfortunately, the average citizen cannot see through these stratagems. The liars must be afraid of the truth and are therefore driven to suppress its pronouncement.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Philosophy, Liars, Blessing

• Aggressors cannot wage total war without introducing Socialism.

  Ludwig von Mises

  War, Liberty, Socialism

• 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

  Taken, Years, Civilization

• Socialism is the renunciation of rational economy.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Socialism, Economy, Rational

  Ludwig von Mises (2016). “Socialism - An Economic and Sociological Analysis: The Economist”, p.96, VM eBooks

• Almost all the fathers of socialism were members of the upper middle class or of the professions.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Father, Class, Socialism

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

• Interventionism cannot be considered as an economic system destined to stay. It is a method for the transformation of capitalism into socialism by a series of successive steps.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Steps, Transformation, Socialism

  Ludwig von Mises (2015). “Middle of the Road Policy Leads to Socialism”, p.28, Ludwig von Mises Institute

• The socialist system, however, forbids this fundamental freedom to choose one's own career. Under socialist conditions, there is only one economic authority, and it has the right to determine all matters concerning production.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Freedom, Careers, Fundamentals

  Ludwig Von Mises (2006). “Economic Policy: Thoughts for Today and Tomorrow”, p.27, Ludwig von Mises Institute

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