A state is absolute in the sense which I have in mind when it claims the right to a monopoly of all the force within the community, to make war, to make peace, to conscript life, to tax, to establish and disestablish property, to define crime, to punish disobedience, to control education, to supervise the family, to regulate personal habits, and to censor opinions. The modern state claims all of these powers, and, in the matter of theory, there is no real difference in the size of the claim between communists, fascists, and Democrats.

A man cannot sleep in his cradle: whatever is useful must in the nature of life become useless.

There can be no liberty for a community which lacks the means by which to detect lies.

The consent of the governed" is more than a safeguard against ignorant tyrants: it is an insurance against benevolent despots as well.

The simple opposition between the people and big business has disappeared because the people themselves have become so deeply involved in big business.

Politicians tend to live "in character" and many a public figure has come to imitate the journalism that describes him.

Leaders are the custodians of a nation's ideals, of the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals.