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Statism is a system of institutionalized violence and perpetual civil war. It leaves men no choice but to fight to seize political power -- to rob or be robbed, to kill or be killed. ... Statism survives by looting; a free country survives by production.

— Ayn Rand Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (1966)

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More quotes by Ayn Rand

“Free competition enforced by law” is a grotesque contradiction in terms.

A world where the thought of each man will not be his own, but an attempt to guess the thought of his neighbor.

Ellsworth Toohey in The Fountainhead (1943)

Today, racism is regarded as a crime if practiced by a majority—but as an inalienable right if practiced by a minority.

The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution (1971)

Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism.

The Virtue of Selfishness (1964)

I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey.

Anthem (1938)

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