Sorry, don’t know if this is the right place to put this. I did a search and didn’t find a duplicate topic, so sorry if there is one around somewhere. =/
My personal favorite is Hayek’s line at the beginning of The Road to Serfdom:
“To the socialists of all parties…”
I’m honestly not sure why that quote struck me the way it did, but I still love it.
“The law perverted! The law — and, in its wake, all the collective forces of the nation — the law, I say, not only diverted from its proper direction, but made to pursue one entirely contrary! The law become the tool of every kind of avarice, instead of being its check! The law guilty of that very iniquity which it was its mission to punish!”
–Frederic Bastiat
The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.
Frederic Bastiat
Nothing, however, can be more absurd than this whole doctrine of the balance of trade…
Adam Smith
“Gospodin,” he said presently, “you used an odd word earlier–odd to me, I mean…”
“Oh, ‘tanstaafl.’ Means ~There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.’ And isn’t,” I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, “or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless.”
“An interesting philosophy.”
“Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for.”
– The Moon is a Harsh Mistress