Public Ownership Quotes

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.

There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism - by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.

The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of 'liberalism,' they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.

Communism only works in Heaven, where they don’t need it, and in hell, where they’ve already got it.

The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.

Why should I nationalize the industry. I shall nationalize the people.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money.

Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them.

Liberalism is really piecemeal socialism, and socialism always attacks three basic social institutions: religion, the family, and private property. Religion, because it offers a rival authority to the state; the family, because it means a rival loyalty to the state; and property, because it means material independence of the state.

I am opposed to socialism because it dreams ingenuously of good, truth, beauty, and equal rights.

Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.

The difference between [socialism and fascism] is superficial and purely formal, but it is significant psychologically: it brings the authoritarian nature of a planned economy crudely into the open. The main characteristic of socialism (and of communism) is public ownership of the means of production, and, therefore, the abolition of private property. The right to property is the right of use and disposal. Under fascism, men retain the semblance or pretense of private property, but the government holds total power over its use and disposal.

There is nothing so American as our national parks. The scenery and the wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us. The parks stand as the outward symbal of the great human principle.

State intervention in economic production arises only when private initiative is lacking or insufficient, or when the political interests of the State are involved. This intervention may take the form of control, assistance or direct management.

The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of everyone else's money.

Spending by government currently amounts to about 45 percent of national income. By that test, government owns 45 percent of the means of production that produce the national income. The U.S. is now 45 percent socialist.

Big corporations are all to be nationalized.

Only by abolishing private property in land and building cheap and hygienic dwellings can the housing problem be solved.

Conservatives brayed that government should stay out of the private sector; liberals bleated for nationalizing the banks.

It's perfectly ordinary to be a socialist. It's perfectly normal to be in favor of fire departments.

Art belongs to the people.

Socialism is the completion of democracy, not the negation of it.

Socialism is communism without the firing squad.

That’s right Clement. Every time you see something big, you want to nationalize it.

What is the difference between democracy and democratic socialism? The same as between a chair and an electric chair.