Quotes by Larken Rose

Some of us realize the self-evident truth that no election, no constitution, no legislation, and no other pseudo-religious political ritual can bestow upon anyone the right to rule another. Nothing can make a man into a rightful master; nothing can make a man into a rightful slave.

There would be a difference between “rule of law” and “rule of men” only if the so-called “laws” were written by something other than men.

If everyone has the right to use inherently righteous force, and “government” agents are allowed to use “force” in other situations as well, then, by its very nature, what “government” adds to society is immoral violence.

If the IRS had to calculate the tax due and then directly take it from each “taxpayer,” there would be no more federal “taxation.

No political ritual can alter morality. No election can make an evil act into a good act. If it is bad for you to do something, then it is bad for those in “government” to do it.

Pride in being a “law-abiding taxpayer” is not the result of having helped people, which the person could have done far more effectively on a voluntary basis; the pride comes from having faithfully obeyed the commands of a perceived “authority.

Today, all statism is based entirely upon the assumption that people can delegate rights they don’t have.

Even when a slave master fights to prevent some other slave master from stealing his slaves, he is still no friend of the slaves themselves.

In short, the defining factor which makes something “government” is the perceived legitimacy and righteousness of the power and control it exerts over others – in other words, its “authority.

But if you’re not allowed to defend your rights, by force if necessary, then they aren’t rights at all. If it’s up to government to decide what rights we have, then we have no rights at all. You might as well ask a carjacker whether you have the right to keep your own car.