Robert LeFevre quotes - page 2

If men are good, you don't need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you don't dare have one. (Robert LeFevre)
If men were basically good, we would not require government; if men were basically evil, we could not afford to grant any man the power of government. View quote
Robert LeFevre
But history shows repeatedly the madness of crowds and the irrationality of majorities. The only conceivable merit relating to majority rule lies in the fact that if we obtain monopoly decisions by this process, we will coerce fewer persons than if we permit the minority to coerce the majority. But implicit in all political voting is the necessity to coerce some so that all are controlled. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Economically speaking, all anarchists are socialists, however they may coalesce to the political spectrum. Economically speaking, the libertarian is an individualist, believing in and supporting the concept of private ownership, individual responsibility and self-government. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Government may be intrinsically evil; clearly they operate on the basis of tax predation. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Government doesn't cure problems. It aggravates them. View quote
Robert LeFevre
An anarchist is anyone who believes in less government than you do. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Government alone, in all man's inventions, is capable of independent life. Government alone, like Mrs. Shelley's terrifying creation of the monster born in Frankenstein's mind, has the power and the ability to turn upon its creators and destroy them. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Formal government can be defined as: a group of men who sell retribution to the inhabitants of a limited geographic area at monopolistic prices. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure. View quote
Robert LeFevre
In brief, let us define the anarchist as a political individualist and an economic socialist. In contrast, the libertarian can be defined as an individualist, both politically and economically. (Robert LeFevre)
But the thing all members of governments desire to do is to rule their own people and to collect money from them. This is inherent in their natures. So the United Nations, perforce, will aid and abet the member governments in their universal desire to maintain a coercive hold over their individual subjects. Thus, the United Nations is a government of the governments, by the governments, and for the governments. And it cannot and will not restrain their governments,... View quote
Robert LeFevre
Governments, by their nature, are instruments of privilege. View quote
Robert LeFevre
The most constructive of the anarchists were, socially speaking, individualists, peaceful and harmless. The least constructive, socially speaking, were dedicated to the overthrow of force by counter force. But without exception, in the realm of economics every anarchist comes unglued. View quote
Robert LeFevre
I carry no brief in favor of the criminal. That is why I carry no brief in defense of those in government. Setting a thief [the government] to catch a thief doubles the amount of loot stolen. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Many times when I use the term 'government', people think that I mean law and order. And so, if they hear me say: 'We don't need government', they think I mean we don't need law and order. Well, this is probably what makes me an 'autarchist' rather than an anarchist. I think we need law and order. You see, I am dedicated to the idea of lawful and orderly procedures. And because of that I have to stand against government. Because government doesn't provide either law or order. View quote
Robert LeFevre
When the government uses "divide and conquer," it sows suspicion so that the people who would naturally tend to affiliate will distrust each other. Thus, they don't affiliate. The consequence is that everyone distrusts his neighbor. But everyone trusts the government. View quote
Robert LeFevre
The police aren't hired to protect you. They're hired to keep an eye on you to see what you did that was wrong so that they can book you. That's their function. They are not protectors. They are not hired to be protectors. They are hired to keep an eye on all of us as potential criminals. Now, do you think they're going to make you safe? They weren't hired to make you safe. View quote
Robert LeFevre
Cannibalism is actually a sort of dietetic socialism. Here is the ultimate sacrifice. A human life is taken for the purpose of maximizing the ‘public welfare.' View quote
Robert LeFevre
The government is an agency of legalized force. It has exhibited skill and efficiency in only one area-that of collecting whatever it wants from the populace. There are three things government traditionally takes away from the people over whom it exercises coercion. It takes their money and we call it ‘taxation.' It takes their property and we call it ‘eminent domain.' Or, it takes them as people. We call this a ‘draft.' View quote
Robert LeFevre