There is no substitute for a militant freedom. The only alternative is submission and slavery.
Tag: Calvin Coolidge
(1873-1933) 30th US President
Liberty is keeping what you have earned
I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves. I want them to have the rewards of their own industry. This is the chief meaning of freedom. Until we can reestablish a condition under which the earnings of the people can be kept by the people, we are bound to suffer a very severe and distinct curtailment of our liberty.
Persistence
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Legislative priorities
It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.
Spending other people’s money
Nothing is easier than the expenditure of public money. It doesn’t appear to belong to anyone. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody.
The blessing of small government
Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business.
Nature of liberty
Liberty is not collective, it is personal. All liberty is individual liberty.
Observance and enforcement
I sometimes wish that people would put a little more emphasis upon the observance of the law than they do upon its enforcement.
Excess taxation
Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery.
Unnecessary taxes
A government which lays taxes on the people not required by urgent public necessity and sound public policy is not a protector of liberty, but an instrument of tyranny. It condemns the citizen to servitude.