Quotation by

Ayn Rand

Potentially, a government is the most dangerous threat to man's rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims.

Advertisement

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Ayn Rand is saying that because the government alone has the legal power to use force, it can harm people's rights more than anyone else. This danger comes from the fact that citizens are not allowed to defend themselves with force, making them vulnerable to government actions.

More by this author

All quotes by Ayn Rand →

More quotes about Government

See all →
Although my seat is a contest between Labour and the Lib Dems, it could well make the difference between a Labour and a Tory government at the next election. In terms of international development, th…
We in the Labour party know better than most that opposition is the easy part. What's more difficult is governing and setting out an agenda for government.

Advertisement

I think most people believe success in government is how many fewer people are in government, not because you kick them off of benefits like unemployment but they've been able to control their own de…
It's become unfashionable to celebrate political achievement, and Labour achievement even less so. And it's positively uncouth to be proud of something that this Labour government is doing. So, slam …
More people on unemployment benefits is not success in America, fewer people on not because we kicked them off but because they have been able to get a job in the private sector, because government g…