quote · Legacy record
Probably it is true enough that the great majority are rarely capable of thinking independently, that on most questions they accept views which they find ready-made, and that they will be equally content if born or coaxed into one set of beliefs or another. In any society freedom of thought will probably be of direct significance only for a small minority. But this does not mean that anyone is competent, or ought to have power, to select those to whom this freedom is to be reserved. It certainly does not justify the presumption of any group of people to claim the right to determine what people ought to think or believe.
Probably it is true enough that the great majority are rarely capable of thinking independently, that on most questions they accept views which they find ready-made, and that they will be equally content if born or coaxed into one set of beliefs or another. In any society freedom of thought will probably be of direct significance only for a small minority. But this does not mean that anyone is competent, or ought to have power, to select those to whom this freedom is to be reserved. It certainly does not justify the presumption of any group of people to claim the right to determine what people ought to think or believe.
Approximate author period: c. 1945 AD · modern
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- Author or tradition
- Friedrich A. Hayek
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
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- Approximate author period: c. 1945 AD · modern
Approximate author-period evidence for Friedrich Hayek: life dates 1899 to 1992. Wikidata Q1325, inspected 2026-10-08. Not a quotation composition date or independent verification of attribution. Source: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1325 (accessed 2026-10-08).
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 318040; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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