The world runs on individuals pursuing their self interests. The

The words of Milton Friedman — “The world runs on individuals pursuing their self-interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus. Einstein didn’t construct his theory under order from a bureaucrat. Henry Ford didn’t revolutionize the automobile industry that way.” — resound with the wisdom of ages, the eternal truth that the spark of human progress is lit not by decree, but by the free and restless soul of the individual. In these words, Friedman, the great economist and philosopher of liberty, reminds us that it is not government that creates greatness, but the freedom of men and women to dream, to strive, and to act. Civilization advances not through commands, but through curiosity — through the daring of minds unbound.

Friedman spoke these words in the mid-twentieth century, during a time when the world was torn between two visions: one of freedom and enterprise, and the other of central control and planning. He saw that governments, though often born of good intentions, tend to choke the very energy they hope to harness. For no law, no committee, no bureaucratic plan can ever substitute for the creative power of the human spirit. The marketplace of ideas and ambition — uncoerced and uncommanded — is where humanity’s greatest leaps are made. His examples — Einstein and Henry Ford — are not chosen lightly. They stand as monuments to what the free mind can accomplish when left unshackled.

Albert Einstein, that solitary seeker of truth, did not wait for permission to imagine the fabric of the cosmos. He worked as a lowly clerk in a patent office, gazing at the mysteries of space and time while stamping official documents by day. Yet in his solitude, he gave birth to a revolution that forever changed our understanding of the universe. There was no government order, no institutional plan — only one mind daring to ask, What if? Such is the strength of the individual spirit when left free to wonder.

Henry Ford, too, changed the world not through authority, but through innovation and perseverance. He defied the established wisdom of his time, refusing to believe that automobiles must be toys for the wealthy. With his assembly line, he made the car a gift to every family, shrinking distances and reshaping societies. His vision did not arise from a government program or committee of planners. It arose from faith in human ingenuity, in the belief that progress is born when free men and women pursue their own purposes with passion and courage.

Friedman’s teaching is not a rejection of government, but a reminder of its limits. The state can protect, but it cannot create; it can preserve peace, but it cannot ignite genius. The engine of civilization is freedom, and the fuel is self-interest rightly understood — not selfishness, but the pursuit of one’s own goals through service to others. For in a truly free society, every baker, builder, and scientist serves his fellow man, not because he is ordered to, but because in doing so, he fulfills both his ambition and his neighbor’s need. This is the miracle of liberty: that personal striving becomes collective progress.

History confirms this truth again and again. The great achievements of the Renaissance were not born from the decrees of kings, but from the hands of artists, inventors, and thinkers who worked for glory, curiosity, and love of beauty. The printing press of Gutenberg, the music of Bach, the discoveries of Galileo — all emerged from the freedom to act without constraint. Where governments have tried to replace individual ambition with collective planning, creativity has withered. The Soviet Union had power, but no prosperity; it had order, but no innovation. When freedom dies, progress dies with it.

So let this be the teaching to every generation: guard your freedom, for within it lives the seed of all greatness. Encourage the dreamers, the inventors, the builders — those who see beyond the horizon of comfort. Do not wait for permission to create, to imagine, to build something new. Governments can maintain the stage, but the play of civilization is written by free souls. Each act of courage, every risk taken in pursuit of vision, adds to the wealth of all mankind.

And thus, remember Friedman’s eternal wisdom: the world runs on individuals, not institutions. The greatness of a people is measured not by the size of its bureaucracy, but by the fire of its citizens. Trust in the power of your own purpose, and let your work — freely chosen, passionately pursued — become your offering to humanity. For in the freedom to follow one’s self-interest lies the quiet, unstoppable force that builds the future of the world.