Edmund Burke -

Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises; for never intending to go beyond promises, it costs nothing

H.L. Mencken -

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

Donald Sensing -

At bottom, modern environmentalism has discarded scientific rigor to embrace something not much different than Leninism, the desire to control the major components of the way individuals live. From there it is a short step for environmentalism to Leninism's successor: Stalinism, the desire to control every aspect of the way we live. That's our future, minus the gulags. We hope.

Guy Herbert -

...The security theatre in fact heightens the perception of threat - and the politicians, being for the most part innumerate, unscientific, weathervanes of public emotion, are the most susceptible to it. They don't invent the threat to justify totalitarianism, but will embrace totalitarianism joyfully as a concomitant of their own inability to judge the magnitude, and their unwillingness to take responsibility for the consequences of taking any position at all. What we have is a malign feedback caused by political desire to be seen doing something pumping up the media. That's why every fantasist is presented as a real danger, every near-random act of successful violence be a civilization-threatening strategic blow. Which only encourages would-be terrorists in their sense of their own importance. It is a folie á deaux between two groups of showoffs.

John Adams -

The precept of the Koran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that Mahomet is the prophet of God. The vanquished may purchase their lives, by the payment of tribute; the victorious may be appeased by a false and delusive promise of peace; and the faithful follower of the prophet, may submit to the imperious necessities of defeat: but the command to propagate the Moslem creed by the sword is always obligatory, when it can be made effective. The commands of the prophet may be performed alike, by fraud, or by force.

Samuel Adams -

If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen

Roger de Hauteville -

Capitalism isn't a system. Got that? Capitalism is the lack of a system. Why can't you fools understand this? Capitalism is freedom. All "systems" are the enemies of freedom, because they rely on the opinions of a few-- usually very cranky-- people, instead of on the collective wisdom of everyone acting in their own self interest, tempered by their innate generosity. Capitalism is the unfettered desire and ability of humans to barter with one another and accumulate knowledge and things. That's it. In capitalism, certain institutions arise because the market signals they are necessary in the first place, and supports them after they are established. In general, when people who do not understand this desire of humans to barter and accumulate things attack these useful institutions, they destroy wealth and impoverish people. That confab in Davos is the poster child for that sort of meddling. Repeat after me: Hong Kong-good. North Korea-bad.