1001Philosophers

Robert Nozick Quotes

Robert Nozick was an American philosopher and a longtime professor at Harvard. His Anarchy, State, and Utopia, published in 1974 in part as a response to Rawls's Theory of Justice, defended a libertarian minimal state on the grounds of individual rights and a historical, entitlement-based conception of justice. The quotes below are attributed to Robert Nozick, organized by topic.

Robert Nozick on Happiness

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “Plug into an experience machine and you will not have lived a real life.”

Robert Nozick on Justice

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “Whatever arises from a just situation by just steps is itself just.”

Robert Nozick on Life

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “Philosophy is not just doctrine; it is a way of living.”

Robert Nozick on Politics

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “The minimal state is the most extensive state that can be justified.”

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “There is no social entity with a good that undergoes some sacrifice for its own good. There are only individual people, with their own individual lives.”

  • Attributed to Robert Nozick:

    “Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor.”

Read all Robert Nozick quotes on Politics