Values in a free society are accepted voluntarily, not through coercion, and certainly not by law... every time we write a law to control private behavior, we imply that somebody has to arrive with a gun, because if you desecrate the flag, you have to punish that person. So how do you do that? You send an agent of the government, perhaps an employee of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Flags, to arrest him. This is in many ways patriotism with a gun - if your actions do not fit the official definition of a 'patriot,' we will send somebody to arrest you.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- In a free society, values are adopted voluntarily, not forced by law, otherwise the state must enforce them with force, which is contradictory to liberty.
- In plain terms
- Values should be chosen freely
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid using law to enforce personal behavior.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is it justified for the state to restrict behavior?
- How does coercion affect social cohesion?
Another view
Some laws aim to protect public order, not just enforce personal morality.
More from Ron Paul
There is but one special interest that we should be working for, and that would solve just about all of our problems, and that is our liberty.
Permalink to quote #5 It is great comedy to hear the secular, pro-gay left, so hostile to states' rights in virtually every instance, suddenly discover the tyranny of centralized go…
Permalink to quote #7 In the free society envisioned by the founders, schools are held accountable to parents, not federal bureaucrats.
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many governments in southern states forced people to segregate by race. Civil rights advocates fought to repeal these stat…
Harry BrowneHarry Browne quote #4 The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free.
Henry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau quote #7 The Fifth Amendment is an old friend and a good friend. one of the great landmarks in men's struggle to be free of tyranny, to be decent and civilized.
William O. DouglasWilliam O. Douglas quote #11