Frédéric Bastiat：Economic Sophisms, Excerpt 141

I soon perceived that it proceeds from this: That between Paris and Brussels _obstacles_ of many kinds exist. First of all, there is _distance_, which entails loss of time, and we must either submit to this ourselves, or pay another to submit to it. Then come rivers, marshes, accidents, bad roads, which are so many _difficulties_ to be surmounted. We succeed in building bridges, in forming roads, and making them smoother by pavements, iron rails, etc. But all this is costly, and the commodity must be made to bear the cost. Then there are robbers who infest the roads, and a body of police must be kept up, etc.

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44145
Locator：Excerpt 141 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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