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Murray Rothbard Biography

Murray Rothbard

Murray Newton Rothbard (/ˈmɜːri ˈrɒθbɑːrd/; March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an American heterodox economist of the Austrian School, a historian, and a political theorist(pp11, 286, 380) whose writings and personal influence played a seminal role in the development of modern right-libertarianism. Rothbard was the founder and leading theoretician of anarcho-capitalism, a staunch advocate of historical revisionism, and a central figure in the twentieth-century American libertarian movement. He wrote over twenty books on political theory, revisionist history, economics, and other subjects. Rothbard asserted that all services provided by the "monopoly system of the corporate state" could be provided more efficiently by the private sector and wrote that the state is "the organization of robbery systematized and writ large." He called fractional-reserve banking a form of fraud and opposed central banking. He categorically opposed all military, political, and economic interventionism in the affairs of other nations. According to his protégé Hans-Hermann Hoppe, "There would be no anarcho-capitalist movement to speak of without Rothbard."

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Murray Rothbard Quotes

An Atlas, whose back is bowed and whose hands are busy holding up the world, has no arms to lift to deal with his own defense. Increase his burdens and you will crush him. . . This is our present posture. . . This suggestions I make. . . would. . . conserve American lives for American ends.

Burdens, Crush, Hands, Increase, Present, War

This process, this method necessary to man's survival and prosperity upon the earth, has often been derided as unduly or exclusively "materialistic. " But it should be clear that what has happened in this activity proper to man's nature is a fusion of "spirit" and matter; man's mind, using the ideas it has learned, directs his energy in transforming and reshaping matter into ways to sustain and advance his wants and his life. Behind every "produced" good, behind every man-made transformation of natural resources, is an idea directing the effort, a manifestation of man's spirit.

Freedom, Ideas, Men, Necessary, Produced, Using

The drum-fire of propaganda that the Fed is manning the ramparts against the menace of inflation brought about by others is nothing less than a deceptive shell game. The culprit solely responsible for inflation, the Federal Reserve, is continually engaged in raising a hue-and-cry about 'inflation,' for which virtually everyone else in society seems to be responsible. What we are seeing is the old ploy by the robber who starts shouting 'Stop, thief!' and runs down the street pointing ahead at others.

Running, Games, Fire, Culprit, Menace, Ramparts

[T]he crucial question is not, as so many believe, whether property rights should be private or governmental, but rather whether the necessarily 'private' owners are legitimate owners or criminals. For ultimately, there is no entity called 'government'; there are only people forming themselves into groups called 'governments' and acting in a 'governmental' manner. All property is therefore always 'private'; the only and critical question is whether it should reside in the hands of criminals or of the proper and legitimate owners.

Believe, Critical, Crucial, Government, Hands, Rights

The State is a gang of thieves writ large - the most immoral, grasping and unscrupulous individuals in any society.

Gang, Grasping, Individual, Large, Thieves, Writ

The libertarian creed. . . offers the fulfillment of the best of the American past along with the promise of a far better future. Libertarians are squarely in the great classical liberal tradition that built the United States and bestowed on us the American heritage of individual liberty, a peaceful foreign policy, minimal government, and a free-market economy.

Built, Creed, Government, Past, Peaceful

Rule by the statist elite is not benign or simply a matter of who happens to be in office: it is rule by a growing army of leeches and parasites battening off the income and wealth of hard-working Americans, destroying their property, corrupting their customs and institutions, sneering at their religion.

Army, Growing, Hard Work, Office, Religion

The more these readjustments are delayed. . . the longer the depression will have to last, and the longer complete recovery is postponed.

Recovery, Liberty, Lasts, Depression, Complete

The State provides a legal, orderly, systematic channel for predation on the property of the producers.

Systematic, States, Producers, State, Legal, Channel

There is one good thing about Marx: he was not a Keynesian.

Good, Keynesian, Liberty, Marx, Philosophy, Political

The natural tendency of the state is inflation. This statement will shock those accustomed to viewing the state as a committee of the whole nation ardently dispensing the general welfare, but I think it nonetheless true.

Natural, Shock, Thinking, True, Viewing, Welfare

Money is different from all other commodities: other things being equal, more shoes, or more discoveries of oil or copper benefit society, since they help alleviate natural scarcity. But once a commodity is established as a money on the market, no more money at all is needed. Since the only use of money is for exchange and reckoning, more dollars or pounds or marks in circulation cannot confer a social benefit: they will simply dilute the exchange value of every existing dollar or pound or mark.

Money, Shoes, Oil, Existing, Help, Different

Just as no one is morally required to answer a robber truthfully when he asks if there are any valuables in one’s house, so no one can be morally required to answer truthfully similar questions asked by the State, e. g. , when filling out income tax returns.

Answers, Filling, House, Income, Returns, State

Only the State legally obtains its revenue by coercion.

Coercion, Legally, Obtains, Revenue, State, States

Scratch an egalitarian, and you will inevitably find a statist.

Scratches, Egalitarian, Scratch, Statist, Inevitably

The libertarian sees the State as a giant gang of organized criminals, who live off the theft called "taxation" and use the proceeds to kill, enslave, and generally push people around. Therefore, any property in the hands of the State is in the hands of thieves, and should be liberated as quickly as possible. Any person or group who liberates such property, who confiscates or appropriates it from the State, is performing a virtuous act and a signal service to the cause of liberty.

Hands, Liberates, Liberty, People, Property, Taxation

I want to make it clear what I am not saying. I am not saying that fiat money, once established on the ruins of gold, cannot then continue indefinitely on its own.

Money, Gold, Want, Clear, Continue

John Stuart was the quintessence of soft rather than hardcore, a woolly minded man of mush in striking contrast to his steel-edged father.

Father, Hardcore, John, Men, Steel, Stuart

It is clearly absurd to limit the term 'education' to a person's formal schooling.

Limits, Absurd, Formal, Limit

There can be no truly moral choice unless that choice is made in freedom; similarly, there can be no really firmly grounded and consistent defense of freedom unless that defense is rooted in moral principle.

Choice, Choices, Defense, Freedom, Liberty, Principles

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