Tuesday, May 31, 2016

quote of the day.......

A Fatal Tendency of Mankind.

Self-preservation and self-development are

common aspirations among all people.

And if everyone enjoyed the unrestricted use of

his faculties and the free disposition of the fruits of

his labor, social progress would be ceaseless,

uninterrupted, and unfailing.

But there is also another tendency

that is common among people.

When they can, they wish to live and prosper

at the expense of others.

This is no rash accusation.

Nor does it come from a gloomy and uncharitable spirit.

The annals of history bear witness to the truth of it:

the incessant wars, mass migrations,

religious persecutions, universal slavery,

dishonesty in commerce, and monopolies.

This fatal desire has its origin in the very nature of man -

in that primitive, universal, and insuppressible instinct

that impels him to satisfy his desires

with the least possible pain.

-Frederic Bastiat(1801-1850) French economist, statesman, and author. 
"The Law" by Frederic Bastiat (1848)