Quotation by

Ayn Rand

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Ayn Rand is saying that governments rely on punishing wrongdoing to maintain control, but if there aren’t enough real criminals, they create laws that label normal behavior as criminal. This makes it so people inevitably break laws just by living, giving the government more power to punish and control them.

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