31 Frédéric Bastiat Quotes From The French Writer And Economist
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Bastiat's full name was Claude-Frederic Bastiat, born 30 June 1801 and passing 24 December 1850.
In 1846 he established the Associations for Free Trade. He utilized its diary, Le Libre-Échange, to propel his antiprotectionist objectives.
Frédéric was one of the leading advocates of free markets and free trade in the mid-19 century. Bastiat was an elected member of various French political bodies and opposed both protection and the rise of socialist ideas in these forums.
His writings for a broader audience were very popular and were quickly translated and republished in the U.S. and Europe. His incomplete magnum opus, 'Economic Harmonies', is full of insights into the operation of the market.
One of the best Bastiast quotes is "life, faculties, production-in other words, individuality, liberty, property-this is the man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation and are superior to it."
In his 1850 essay entitled 'Ce qu'on Voit Et Ce Qu'on Ne Voit Pas', which translates as 'What Is Seen And What Is Not Seen', quotes from this are interesting, Bastiat introduced a concept that would eventually be coined as "opportunity cost." You'll find more great Bastiat quotes, on trust, Bastiat quotes on violence, the human race and more.
If you enjoy this article, read Kropotkin quotes or John Maynard Keynes quotes.
Quotes By Frédéric Bastiat
During the mid-19 century, Bastiat was known for his splendid writing. Here are the best Bastiat quotes.
1. "Slavery, protection, and monopoly find defenders, not only in those who profit by them but in those who suffer by them."
- Frederic Bastiat.
2. "Everyone's effort will be directed toward snatching a scrap of fraternal privilege from the legislature. The suffering classes, although having the greatest claim, will not always have the greatest success."
- Frederic Bastiat.
3."Competition is merely the absence of oppression."
- Frederic Bastiat.
4." In short, is not liberty the freedom of every person to make full use of his faculties, so long as he does not harm other persons while doing so?"
- Frederic Bastiat.
7. "And what is this liberty, whose very name makes the heart beat faster and shakes the world?"
- Frederic Bastiat.
6." When two workmen run after one master, wages fall; they rise when two masters run after one workman."
- Frederic Bastiat.
7."The profit of the one is the profit of the other."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Frédéric Bastiat Law Enforcement Quotes
Bastiat's quotes are still referred to by lawyers in court. Here are some law enforcement quotes by him.
8."I cannot possibly understand how fraternity can be legally enforced without liberty being legally destroyed..."
- Frederic Bastiat.
9."The most urgent necessity is, not that the State should teach, but that it should allow education. All monopolies are detestable, but the worst of all is the monopoly of education."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Bastiat 'The Law' Quotes
Here we have collected some quotes from 'The Law' by Frederick Bastiat.
10."Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place."
- Frederic Bastiat.
11."Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons, and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim -- when he defends himself -- as a criminal."
- Frederic Bastiat.
12."When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law."
- Frederic Bastiat.
13."We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life -- physical, intellectual, and moral life."
- Frederic Bastiat.
14."Legal plunder has two roots: One of them, as I have said before, is inhuman greed; the other is in false philanthropy."
- Frederic Bastiat.
15."The law cannot organize labor and industry without organizing injustice."
- Frederic Bastiat.
16."In the first place, the word universal conceals a gross sophism."
- Frederic Bastiat.
17."It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder."
- Frederic Bastiat.
18."The law has been perverted through the influence of two very different causes—bare egotism and false philanthropy."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Frederic Bastiat Quotes About Socialism
Being a writer, Bastiat wrote quotes on violence, socialism, and more. Here we can have a look at Bastiat's quotes on Socialism.
19."The purpose of the socialists is to suppress liberty of association precisely in order to force people to associate together in true liberty."
- Frederic Bastiat.
20. "If socialists mean that under extraordinary circumstances, for urgent cases, the State should set aside some resources to assist certain unfortunate people, to help them adjust to changing conditions, we will, of course, agree.
This is done now; we desire that it be done better. There is, however, a point on this road that must not be passed; it is the point where governmental foresight would step in to replace individual foresight and thus destroy it."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Famous Bastiat Quotes
Frederic quotes are very famous among the economist. And here are some of the famous quotes by Bastiat.
21."What, then is, law? It is the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense."
- Frederic Bastiat.
22."The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else."
- Frederic Bastiat.
23."The safest way to make laws respected is to make them respectable."
- Frederic Bastiat.
24."Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
- Frederic Bastiat.
25."Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods."
- Frederic Bastiat.
26."The worst thing that can happen to a good cause is, not to be skilfully attacked, but to be ineptly defended."
- Frederic Bastiat.
27."Each of us has a natural right, from God, to defend his person, his liberty, and his property."
- Frederic Bastiat.
28."Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Frederic Bastiat Economy Quotes
Bastiat made a big contribution: his fresh and witty expressions of economic truths made them so understandable and compelling that the truths became hard to ignore. Take a look at some of his quotes on economics.
29."There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen."
- Frederic Bastiat.
30."In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect but to a series of effects."
- Frederic Bastiat.
31."A science of economics must be developed before a science of politics can be logically formulated. Essentially, economics is the science of determining whether the interests of human beings are harmonious or antagonistic."
- Frederic Bastiat.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting quotes about the law or economic for everyone to learn! If you liked our suggestions for 31 Frederic Bastiat quotes From the French writer and economist, then why not take a look at [Simon Well] or Michel Foucault quotes.
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Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Accounting and Finance, Master of Business Administration
Divya RaghavBachelor of Commerce specializing in Accounting and Finance, Master of Business Administration
With a diverse range of experience in finance, administration, and operations, Divya is a diligent worker known for her attention to detail. Born and raised in Bangalore, she completed her Bachelor's in Commerce from Christ University and is now pursuing an MBA at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore. Along with her professional pursuits, Divya has a passion for baking, dancing, and writing content. She is also an avid animal lover who dedicates her time to volunteering for animal welfare causes.
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