Skip to content

Aristotle argues, possessions enable men to rise to a higher ethical level by giving them the opportunity to be generous: ‘liberality consists in the use which is made of property’—an argument which would greatly appeal to Christian theologians of the Middle Ages. Aristotle’s preferred regime was one founded on a middle class, with an equitable distribution of assets.

— Richard Pipes Property and Freedom (1999)

Another quote →

More quotes by Richard Pipes

Bolshevism and Fascism were heresies of socialism.

Russia Under The Bolshevik Regime (1994)

Lenin wanted power. This may sound self-evident; after all, every politician is assumed to lust for power. But deep down, Lenin’s rivals did not want it.

Three “Whys” of the Russian Revolution (1995)

Moscow’s insistence that ‘fascism’ was the polar opposite of ‘communism’ found wide acceptance in socialist and liberal circles in the West.

Property and Freedom (1999)

Nothing contributed more to the emergence of private property in the West and the rights associated with ownership than the appearance in the late Middle Ages of urban communities.

Property and Freedom (1999)

Fascism issued from the 'Bolshevik' wing of Italian socialism, not from any conservative ideology or movement.

Russia Under The Bolshevik Regime (1995)

All Richard Pipes quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Richard Pipes (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.