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Milton Friedman on Freedom and equality

The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither. The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both.
Created Equal
Television, 1980, PBS, vol. 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. In my opinion, a society that aims for equality before liberty will end up with neither equality nor liberty. A society that aims first for liberty will not end up with equality, but it will end up with a closer approach to equality than any other kind of system that has ever been developed.
    Milton Friedman Speaks: The Role of Government in a Free Society
    Speech, 1978
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  3. Neither country is an ideal democracy—just as we are not. Both have serious racial problems—just as we have. Both can be justly criticized for not moving faster to eliminate discrimination—just as we can. But both provide a larger measure of freedom and affluence for all their residents—black and white—than most other countries of Africa.
    Rhodesia
    Column, 1976, Newsweek, May 3, 1976; reprinted in the Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, April 29, 1976, pp. 11979 to 11980, introduced by Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio, who gives it as “an excellent article on Rhodesia by Milton Friedman, which appeared in the May 3 edition of Newsweek”, Congressional Record, April 29, 1976, p. 11979
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