"Now, labour being in itself a pain, and man being naturally inclined to avoid pain, it follows, and history proves it, that wherever plunder is less burdensome than labour, it prevails; and neither religion nor morality can, in this case, prevent it from prevailing. When does plunder cease, then? When it becomes less burdensome and more dangerous than labour. It is very evident that the proper aim of law is to oppose the powerful obstacle of collective force to this fatal tendency; that all its measures should be in favour of property, and against plunder."
Claude-Frédéric Bastiat (economist, 1801-1850)
Note:
Reading his essay The Law incited long ago a personal awakening, a fire sparking the kindling well laid fortunately by previous reading, studying as well pondering thus questioning. My mind was ready. Immediately, I read his entire collection of essays soon followed by Ludwig von Mises' books Liberalism: In The Classical Tradition and Human Action, of course over the years since that time the many other works by many other writers.
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