As for me, I had to be disliked by both parties for the simple fact that I was more busy fighting their mistakes than rallying under their banner.

Frédéric Bastiat
Complete Works volume I, page 98 (in French)
Letter dated April 25th, 1849

In the first part of this letter, Frédéric Bastiat worries about the polarisation of the French society between the poor and the rich (which is what those insisting on “inequalities” as a fundamental issue in our society nowadays are attempting to recreate). Considering the former, he blames them for their violence, their fantasies and the absurdities on which their fight is based. Considering the latter, he blames them for the injustice they create (notably pertaining to taxes) that explains, at least partly, the reaction of the former.

Today’s quote explains how Frédéric Bastiat makes himself unpopular among politicians. His refusal to compromise and the way he sees his task leads him to expose the mistakes of the ones and the others, which does not allow him to obtain the support of either of them. According to me, this honesty does him credit and in case this had to be demonstrated again, we can see here that liberals are not the agents of Capital (not even the Koch brothers) but are fighting injustice, independently from the fact that they apply to the poor or the rich.

The second part of the letter pertains to his desire to publish the Economic Harmonies in order to be able and refer to it in his discussions. It is also very touching when he refers to the success he is starting to meet in England and the United States – he will have died with the idea that he made a contribution to the march of humanity.