I would like to be told what the great standing armies and the powerful navies would be used for if trade were free.

Frédéric Bastiat
Economic Sophisms First Series.

This pamphlet denounces a certain number of errors on the tax system of the times, which shows that the current issue whereby the fiscal doctrine of the French government is not consistent is nothing new.

That said, what I shall underline is the conclusion because my preferred quote from Frédéric Bastiat is the following: “If goods and services do not cross borders, soldiers will.” Unfortunately, Bastiat seems to not have written this sentence and the absence of tape recorders at the time created a void – nobody can prove he really said it. Today’s quote is one of the closest I found in the Complete Works to illustrate the thought, reason for which I chose it, even if it does not really illustrate the theme of this fifth sophism.