William E. Simon

“Philanthropy is the rent we pay for the joy and privilege of living in a free society.”

“There is only one cause of inflation: a government printing too much money.”

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”

“History shows that when the taxes of a nation approach about 20 percent of the people's income, there begins to be a lack of respect for government.... When it reaches 25 percent, there comes an increase in lawlessness.”

“Productivity and the growth of productivity must be the first economic consideration at all times, not the last.”

“The free market is a decentralized clearing house for the knowledge of millions of individuals, whose separate actions are coordinated by the price system.”

“In a world of intrusive government, the only certainties are death and taxes.”

“The nation should have a tax system that looks like someone designed it on purpose.”

“The American citizen must be made aware that today a relatively small group of people is proclaiming its purposes to be the will of the People.”

“A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society.”

“Freedom is not a gift which can be enjoyed save by those who vigilantly guard it.”

“The road to recovery is to get the government off our backs... and out of our pockets.”