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Milton Friedman on Freedom and equality

The nineteenth-century liberal regarded an extension of freedom as the most effective way to promote welfare and equality; the twentieth-century liberal regards welfare and equality as either prerequisites of or alternatives to freedom.
Capitalism and Freedom
Book, 1962, Introduction, p. 5
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  1. A society that puts equality—in the sense of equality of outcome—ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests. On the other hand, a society that puts freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality.
    Free to Choose
    Book, 1980, Ch. 5 “Created Equal”, p. 148
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  2. The heart of the liberal philosophy is a belief in the dignity of the individual, in his freedom to make the most of his capacities and opportunities according to his own lights, subject only to the proviso that he not interfere with the freedom of other individuals to do the same. This implies a belief in the equality of man in one sense; in their inequality in another.
    Capitalism and Freedom
    Book, 1962, Ch. 12 The Alleviation of Poverty, 2002 edition, p. 195
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  3. Exchange is truly voluntary only when nearly equivalent alternatives exist. Monopoly implies the absence of alternatives and thereby inhibits effective freedom of exchange.
    Capitalism and Freedom
    Book, 1962, Ch. 2, The Role of Government in a Free Society, p. 28
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