Jenn Lyon Quotes

Each man has an equal social right to multiply his power of motion by all the social factors of civilization. Private property in any of these factors is inconsistent with this fundamental right; it must, obviously, prove a source of economic despotism and industrial slavery.”

Inasmuch as the Socialists seek to transfer the goods of private persons to the community at large, they make the lot of all wage earners worse, because in abolishing the freedom to dispose of wages, they take away from them by this very act the hope and the opportunity of increasing their property and of securing advantages for themselves.

A Socialist Government cannot carry on a capitalist system better than the capitalists. The men bred by a capitalist system are men of affairs who understand their business. They are not apprentices.

Don't talk to me about socialism. What we have, we hold.

Freedom of choice is a universal principle that ... applies both to the capitalist and the socialist system.

History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom. Clearly it is not a sufficient condition.

Socialism states that you owe me something simply because I exist. Capitalism, by contrast, results in a sort of reality-forced altruism: I may not want to help you, I may dislike you, but if I don't give you a product or service you want, I will starve. Voluntary exchange is more moral than forced redistribution.

Neither Capitalism nor Socialism can pretend to be an ideology. They are merely methods for dividing ownership and income.

The capitalist process shapes things and souls for socialism.

If a Tory does not believe that private property is one of the main bulwarks of individual freedom, then he had better become a socialist and have done with it.

When capitalism changes, so must socialism.

The workers and peasants must, as quickly as possible, seize everything that was created by them over many centuries and use it for their own interests.

The Plan provides economic safety while at the same time retaining a huge measure of economic liberty. The problem has been how to attain safety without losing freedom. A solution would appear to lie in comparatively simple compromise between socialism and individualism by applying the one to Necessaries and the other to Luxuries.

Socialism and freedom are not compatible, regardless of repeated convincings.

I'm just wondering, folks, if I gave a speech on anti-capitalism, do you think I could be named Person of the Year by 'TIME Magazine?'

But I do have one real problem with socialism: I like money.

You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine tenths. You reproach us, therefore, with intending to do away with a form of property, the necessary condition for whose existence is the non-existence of any property for the immense majority of society.

There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.

Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class.

Political Freedom without economic equality is a pretense, a fraud, a lie; and the workers want no lying.

Laissez Faire was very good sauce for the goose, labor, but was very poor sauce for the gander, capital.

Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.

The reason socialism has failed around the world every time it's been tried is because people in socialist countries have looked at the United States and have said if they can have it that good, we can. It's a failed, flawed ideology, but if you ask socialists why it's always failed, it's because the United States has stood in the way.

I believed - and believe - that capitalism works best for a freedom-loving society, that it brings more prosperity to more people than any other social-economic system, but that somehow we have to take care of people.

Capitalism is at least tolerable, which cannot be said of Socialism or Communism.