“When everybody owns something, nobody owns it, and nobody has a direct interest in maintaining or improving its condition. That is why buildings in the Soviet Union — like public housing in the United States — look decrepit within a year or two of their construction.”

Source: Free to Choose (1980), Ch. 1 “The Power of the Market”, p. 24

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Milton Friedman 158
American economist, statistician, and writer 1912–2006

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