Liberalism should be found not striving to spread bureaucracy but striving to set bounds to it. True liberalism seeks all legitimate freedom first in the confident belief that without such freedom the pursuit of all other blessings and benefits is vain. That belief is the foundation of all American progress, political as well as economic.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- True liberalism limits government control rather than expanding it, believing that freedom is necessary for other benefits to matter.
- In plain terms
- Liberalism should limit bureaucracy and prioritize freedom.
- What can you take from it?
- Protecting freedom is the base for all other progress.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What counts as legitimate freedom?
- Where should bureaucratic bounds be drawn?
Another view
This view may undervalue the role of regulation in protecting public goods.
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