Robert Nozick

Political Philosophy American 1938 – 2002 101 quotes

An American philosopher whose 'Anarchy, State, and Utopia' provided a powerful defense of libertarianism, arguing for a minimal state and individual rights.

Quotes by Robert Nozick

The grass really is greener on the other side, but only because from that side the grass looks greener on this side.

The Examined Life 1989

In the particularity of my life I find my meaning.

The Examined Life 1989

We are each the center of a web of relationships.

The Examined Life 1989

Love is not a feeling; it is a way of willing.

The Examined Life 1989

The state arises from the invisible hand process.

Anarchy, State, and Utopia 1974

Justice in holdings is historical; it depends upon what actually happened.

Anarchy, State, and Utopia 1974

Patterned principles of distributive justice presuppose further moral considerations.

Anarchy, State, and Utopia 1974

The Wilt Chamberlain argument shows the instability of patterned distributions.

Anarchy, State, and Utopia 1974

Rights are constraints on how each may act.

Anarchy, State, and Utopia 1974

Explaining something is not the same as explaining it away.

Philosophical Explanations 1981

Identity across time is a matter of connectedness and continuity.

Philosophical Explanations 1981

Value is not a property of isolated objects but of patterns and connections.

Philosophical Explanations 1981

Philosophy is not a theory but an activity.

Philosophical Explanations 1981

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.

The Examined Life 1989

Life is a process of self-creation.

The Examined Life 1989

Meaning in life comes from connecting to something larger.

The Examined Life 1989

Death is not the end but a transformation.

The Examined Life 1989

Socialism is attractive but impractical.

Invariances 2001

Science seeks invariance amid change.

Invariances 2001

The universe is not indifferent; it is structured.

Invariances 2001