Milton Friedman
Champion of free markets and monetary policy
Most quoted
"The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another."
— from Speech, 1979
"The long-range solution [to high unemployment] is to increase the incentive for ordinary people to save, invest, work, and employ others. We make it costly for employers to employ people, and we subsidize people not to go to work. We have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork."
— from Book, 1980
"The government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens from crimes against themselves or their property. When government tries to do more than this, it creates problems."
— from Interview/Speech
All quotes by Milton Friedman (290)
The most important thing is to have a sound monetary policy.
The free market is a system of voluntary cooperation.
The only way to achieve progress is through individual initiative and responsibility.
The government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.
The most important thing is to have a government that is accountable to the people.
The free market is the most moral system because it respects individual choice.
The only way to achieve a just society is through individual liberty.
The government should not be involved in the economy beyond protecting property rights and enforcing contracts.
The most important thing is to have a strong and independent central bank.
The free market is a process of discovery.
The government's role is to create a level playing field, not to play on it.
The only way to achieve true prosperity is through innovation and entrepreneurship.
The most important thing is to have a society that values individual freedom above all else.
The free market is a powerful engine of social progress.
The government should not be in the business of redistributing wealth.
The most important thing is to have a sound legal framework that protects individual rights.
The free market is a system of decentralized decision-making.
The only way to achieve a truly free society is to limit the power of government.
The most important thing is to have a monetary system that is stable and predictable.
The free market is a mechanism for coordinating the activities of millions of individuals.
Contemporaries of Milton Friedman
Other Economicss born within 50 years of Milton Friedman (1912–2006).