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 only way to get rid of poverty is to create wealth.
The only way to have a stable economy is to have a stable monetary policy.
The most important thing about a free society is that it allows people to make their own choices.
The only way to have a just society is to have a free society.
The government's role is to set the rules of the game, not to play the game.
The only way to have a prosperous society is to have a free market.
The most important thing about inflation is that it's a tax on the poor.
The only way to get rid of inflation is to stop printing money.
The most important thing about government spending is that it's always somebody else's money.
The most important thing about a free market is that it allows people to pursue their own interests.
The only way to get rid of unemployment is to get rid of government interference in the labor market.
The most important thing about a free society is that it allows for voluntary cooperation.
The only way to have a just society is to have a society where people are free to make their own choices.
The most important thing about government is that it's a necessary evil, but it's still an evil.
The only way to get rid of poverty is to create opportunities for people to create wealth.
The most important thing about a stable economy is that it allows people to plan for the future.
The only way to have a free and prosperous society is to have a government that protects individual rights.
The most important thing about a free market is that it allows for competition.
The only way to get rid of inflation is to have a central bank that is independent of political pressure.
The most important thing about government spending is that it crowds out private investment.
Contemporaries of Milton Friedman
Other Economicss born within 50 years of Milton Friedman (1912–2006).