Harry Browne, (1933-2006) American libertarian writer, politician, and free-market investment analyst. Libertarian candidate for US President 1996 & 2000 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-17] of 17 Harry Browne quotesHarry Browne QuotesHarry Browne Asset forfeiture is a mockery of the Bill of Rights. There is no presumption of innocence, no need to prove you guilty (or even charge you with a crime), no right to a jury trial, no right to confront your accuser, no right to a court-appointed attorney (even if the government has just stolen all your money), and no right to compensation for the property that's been taken. ~ Harry Browne For those looking for security, be forewarned that there's nothing more insecure than a political promise.~ Harry Browne I want a government small enough to fit inside the Constitution.~ Harry Browne Republicans campaign like Libertarians and govern like Democrats.~ Harry Browne The government is good at one thing. It knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say, ‘See if it weren’t for the government, you wouldn’t be able to walk.’~ Harry Browne You can't give the government the power to do good without also giving it the power to do bad - in fact, to do anything it wants.~ Harry Browne A little government involvement is just as dangerous as a lot -- because the first leads inevitably to the second.~ Harry Browne The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the government has a 'compelling interest' in censoring the Internet. The Second Amendment doesn't say you have the right to keep and bear arms until some madman plants a bomb. The Fourth Amendment doesn't say you have the right to be secure from search and seizure unless some FBI agent thinks you fit the profile of a terrorist. The government has no right to interfere with any of these freedoms under any circumstances.~ Harry Browne The press is hostile to the idea of liberty. Most people in the press are for big government. Most people think that the solution to anything, whether it's health care problems, education, whatever it is -- it's got to be more government.~ Harry Browne Being a politician means never having to say you're sorry. You don't have to say, 'I never should have voted to subsidize that ridiculous Enron project in India.' ... After all, they're greedy businessmen and you're a selfless public servant.~ Harry Browne Government is a parasite—a cancer that by nature tries to spread deeper into society. Those who want to run others’ lives won’t give up and start minding their own business.~ Harry Browne A welfare state is frightened of every poor person who tries to get in and every rich person who tries to get out.~ Harry Browne We should never define libertarian positions in terms coined by liberals and conservatives, nor as some variant of their positions. We are not fiscally conservative and socially liberal. We are libertarians, who believe in individual liberty and personal responsibility on all issues at all times.~ Harry Browne If the Fed had a war on abortion like its war on poverty or war on drugs, within 5 years men would be having abortions!~ Harry Browne The income tax is the biggest single intrusion suffered by the American people. It forces every worker to be a bookkeeper, to open his records to the government, to explain his expenses, to fear conviction for a harmless accounting error. Compliance wastes billions of dollars. It penalizes savings and creates an enormous drag on the U.S. economy. It is incompatible with a free society, and we aren’t libertarians if we tolerate it.~ Harry Browne The free market punishes irresponsibility. Government rewards it.~ Harry Browne There are no violent gangs fighting over aspirin territories. There are no violent gangs fighting over whisky territories or computer territories or anything else that's legal. There are only criminal gangs fighting over territories covering drugs, gambling, prostitution, and other victimless crimes. Making a non-violent activity a crime creates a black market, which attracts criminals and gangs, which turns what was once a relatively harmless activity affecting a small group of people into a widespread epidemic of drug use and gang warfare.~ Harry Browne Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print