They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.
Calvin CoolidgeRead
The collection of taxes which are not absolutely required, which do not beyond reasonable doubt contribute to public welfare, is only a species of legalized larceny. Under this Republic the rewards of industry belong to those who earn them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Coolidge criticizes unnecessary taxation, linking it to theft and emphasizing the rights of earners to their rewards.
In this quote, Calvin Coolidge expresses a strong belief in the sanctity of individual earnings and industry. He argues that taxes should only be collected for essential public needs and that any taxes beyond this not only fail to contribute to public welfare but fundamentally infringe on the rights of individuals. By likening unnecessary taxation to 'legalized larceny,' he underscores a moral stance against exploiting the labors of citizens, advocating for a system that equitably rewards those who work hard for their income.
Themes
TaxationPublic WelfareEarningsIndustryLarceny
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about tax reform to emphasize the need for fair taxation policies.
More from Calvin Coolidge
All quotes →It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and for the most part sincerely, assured of their greatness.
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America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality.
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No method of procedure has ever been devised by which liberty could be divorced from local self-government. No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline.
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Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether his Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat.
Calvin CoolidgeRead
The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.
Calvin CoolidgeRead
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