David Boaz

Thank you, David, for your devotion, commitment, and countless accomplishments—writing, speaking, editing, tutoring and, of course, promoting the Cato Institute and our shared pro‐​liberty mission.

For his institution building and consistent propagation of core libertarian values, he has a claim to being one of the most influential libertarians of the past forty years.

At its core, libertarianism is a movement to recognize and respect the equal dignity of every last human. David Boaz has been and shall remain a giant of that movement.

In a way, David has embodied what Cato strives to be: a clear, clean, and precise presentation of libertarian/​classical liberal thought.

When I think of the most effective advocates of individual freedom in my generation, David Boaz is Number One, and there is no Number Two.

David Boaz is our inspiration. He never stopped. He never will, because when we fight for the rule of law, he is with us. He will always be with us.

Some have argued that the key question for libertarians is: “Do you hate the state?” But I believe David would have framed the question differently: “Do you love humanity?”

Boaz’s mere existence at Cato was a constant reminder to elevate your work to the loftiness of his standards and to remember the deeper purpose of why we write: not for citations or clicks or even academic curiosity, but to respectably represent the cause of liberty. 

David defined libertarianism for my generation, and for generations to come.

David’s legacy as a vanguard of libertarianism and the Cato Institute is monumental, and his impact on so many people professionally and personally will ensure these institutions thrive and grow.

He will be sorely missed, but his legacy of liberty will live on.

I am sure I am not the only person at Cato who will continue to be guided by the rubric of “What would David think?”

In writing, speaking, or through the media, no one communicated the principles and spirit of the classical liberal, libertarian vision more clearly or compellingly than David Boaz. Those principles of individual liberty and human flourishing secured through constitutionally limited government were alive in David and in all he did.

Allowing people to choose what they think is right—not government deciding for everyone—is the essence of liberty. Consistent with his lifetime work, David Boaz made that clear in education long before many of us had written our first word.

In a world in which we’re surrounded by people who are consumed with celebrity, trinkets, and passing fads, David always kept his focus on what mattered most—working to create a society that was truly free and just.