Libertarian Pessimism, Optimism, and Passion

"Libertarians simply can't bear to live in a lost cause. I can. I have done so for my entire adult lifetime. One doesn't have to imagine he's on the winning side to do the decent thing. One simply does it, advertises it, recommends it, touts it to one and all as a way to move toward a freer and more decent world. That my side -- my little band of social freaks -- will be crushed by the Leviathan in due course does not deter me in the least. I will have stood for what seemed to me the decent course of thought and action. It didn't make me rich or famous or successful, as a different conduct of my life might have done. I have no regrets. But neither do I harbor any wishful thinking about an impending revolution of liberty." - Robert Higgs

"It is a blast to see the powerful topple from the thrones they want to sit in so badly. It is a thrill to use and hold technologies, as we know them, that no one among the elite ever gave permission to exist. It is a kick to see how the market — meaning human beings acting with vision toward the future — is so constantly outwitting the arrogant planners who want to freeze history, control our minds, and wreck our world. To defy them is so simple: Just imagine a future better than the present. You become an enemy of the state, and you begin to love every minute of it. You become part of the solution and see that your life and energies are worthwhile and making a difference. How fortunate we all are to be living in these times." - Jeffrey Tucker

"I am not that much interested in the debate between libertarian optimists and pessimists. Why? Because if ever either side is declared the winner, it will not change my behavior by one iota. Whether we are moving toward or away from liberty, I will continue to do what I do every day: work to the best of my ability to promote freedom, and economic rationality. I ask that everyone reading this try to do the same, to the best of their ability." - Walter Block

In sum, regardless of whether you are a pessimist, an optimist or neither, you should never tire of exploring, refining, and promoting libertarian values if you consciously and honestly believe them to be intellectually true, morally good, and aesthetically inspiring. There is no preferable alternative anyway.