Walter E. Williams Quotes - Page 2

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• Despite the miracles of capitalism, it doesn't do well in popularity polls. One of the reasons is that capitalism is always evaluated against the non-existent, non-realizable utopias of socialism or communism. Any earthly system, when compared to a Utopia, will pale in comparison. But for the ordinary person, capitalism, with all of its warts, is superior to any system yet devised to deal with our everyday needs and desires.

  Walter E. Williams

  Miracle, Everyday, Desire

  94 Copy quote

• We will not make inroads into the gun-violence problem until we acknowledge the underlying causes of youth behavior today, compared to yesterday. ... we must come to the realization that laws and regulations alone cannot produce a civilized society. It's morality that is society's first line of defense against uncivilized behavior.

  Walter E. Williams

  Gun, Law, Yesterday

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• Tyrants always condemn and seek to replace the market process with government coercion because tyrants do not trust that people behaving voluntarily will do what the tyrants think they should do.

  Walter E. Williams

  Thinking, Tyrants, Government

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• The true test of one's commitment to liberty and private property rights doesn't come when we permit people to be free to do those voluntary things with which we agree. The true test comes when we permit people to be free to do those voluntary things with which we disagree.

  Walter E. Williams

  Commitment, Rights, People

  Walter E. Williams (2013). “More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well”, p.203, Hoover Press

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• More important than anything else is for Americans to wise up to class warfare demagoguery and reject the politics of envy.

  Walter E. Williams

  Wise, Class, Envy

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• The prospects are dim for a society that makes mascots out of the unproductive and condemns the productive.

  Walter E. Williams

  Mascots, Prospects, Unproductive

  Walter E. Williams (2015). “American Contempt for Liberty”, p.358, Hoover Institution Press

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• Whether we want to own up to it or not, the welfare state has done what Jim Crow, gross discrimination and poverty could not have done. It has contributed to the breakdown of the black family structure and has helped establish a set of values alien to traditional values of high moral standards, hard work and achievement.

  Walter E. Williams

  Hard Work, Achievement, Crow

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• Nothing in our Constitution suggests that government is a grantor of rights. Instead, government is a protector of rights.

  Walter E. Williams

  Rights, Government, Liberty

  Walter E. Williams (2013). “Liberty Versus the Tyranny of Socialism: Controversial Essays”, p.110, Hoover Press

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• Wealth comes from successful individual efforts to please one's fellow man ... that's what competition is all about: "outpleasing" your competitors to win over the consumers.

  Walter E. Williams

  Successful, Winning, Men

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• Always be suspicious of those who pretend to know it all, claim their way is the best way and are willing to force their way on the rest of us.

  Walter E. Williams

  Way, Know It All, Claims

  66 Copy quote

• Socialism is just another form of tyranny.

  Walter E. Williams

  Socialism, Form, Tyranny

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• Legality alone is no guide for a moral people. There are many things in this world that have been, or are, legal but clearly immoral. Slavery was legal. Did that make it moral? South Africa’s apartheid, Nazi persecution of Jews, and Stalinist and Maoist purges were all legal, but did that make them moral?

  Walter E. Williams

  People, World, Slavery

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• If we're ignorant of the historical sacrifices that made our liberties possible, we will be less likely to make the sacrifices again so that those liberties are preserved for future generations. And, if we're ignorant, we won't even know when government infringes on our liberties. Moreover, we'll happily cast our votes for those who'd destroy our liberties.

  Walter E. Williams

  Sacrifice, Government, Historical

  28 Copy quote

• Politicians have immense power to do harm to the economy. But they have very little power to do good.

  Walter E. Williams

  Littles, Politician, Economy

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• A caged canary is safe but not free.

  Walter E. Williams

  Liberty, Safe, Libertarian

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• As American education and intelligence becomes replaced by feelings and emotion, not seeing the forest for the trees has become a major problem.

  Walter E. Williams

  Tree, Feelings, Forests

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• In a free society, government has the responsibility of protecting us from others, but not from ourselves.

  Walter E. Williams

  Responsibility, Government, Liberty

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• People who denounce the free market and voluntary exchange, and are for control and coercion, believe they have more intelligence and superior wisdom to the masses. What's more, they believe they've been ordained to forcibly impose that wisdom on the rest of us. Of course, they have what they consider good reasons for doing so, but every tyrant that has ever existed has had what he believed were good reasons for restricting the liberty of others.

  Walter E. Williams

  Believe, Tyrants, People

  Walter E. Williams (2013). “Liberty Versus the Tyranny of Socialism: Controversial Essays”, p.140, Hoover Press

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• One of the wonderful things about free markets is that the path to greater wealth comes not from looting, plundering and enslaving one's fellow man, as it has throughout most of human history, but by serving and pleasing him.

  Walter E. Williams

  Men, Fellow Man, Path

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• How does something immoral, when done privately, become moral when it is done collectively? Furthermore, does legality establish morality? Slavery was legal; apartheid is legal; Stalinist, Nazi, and Maoist purges were legal. Clearly, the fact of legality does not justify these crimes. Legality, alone, cannot be the talisman of moral people.

  Walter E. Williams

  People, Doe, Done

  "All It Takes is Guts: A Minority View". Book by Walter E. Williams, 1987.

  109 Copy quote

• The bottom line is that if politicians weren't in the business of granting favors and exacting tribute, every single issue surrounding campaign finance reform would be irrelevant. After all, why would anyone spend money for influence, access, favors and tribute if the only thing that politicians do is to live up to their oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution?

  Walter E. Williams

  Issues, Reform, Would Be

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• Democracy gives the aura of legitimacy to acts that would otherwise be considered tyranny.

  Walter E. Williams

  Giving, Democracy, Auras

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• Today's liberals wish to disarm us so they can run their evil and oppressive agenda on us. The fight against crime is just a convenient excuse to further their agenda. I don't know about you, but if you hear that Williams' guns have been taken, you'll know Williams is dead.

  Walter E. Williams

  Running, Taken, Fighting

  Walter E. Williams (1995). “Do the Right Thing: The People's Economist Speaks”, p.118, Hoover Press

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• The framers gave us the Second Amendment not so we could go deer or duck hunting but to give us a modicum of protection against congressional tyranny.

  Walter E. Williams

  Gun, Hunting, Ducks

  Walter E. Williams (2013). “More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well”, p.188, Hoover Press

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• Communism and socialism is [sic] seductive. It promises us that people will contribute according to ability and receive according to needs. Everybody is equal. Everybody has a right to decent housing, decent food and affordable medical care. History should have taught us that when we hear people talk this stuff - watch out!

  Walter E. Williams

  Equality, Should Have, Taught Us

  81 Copy quote

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