• "Well written, well researched, and the thesis put forth is well argued.... Woods has opened up an area of historical analysis that should invite further study."
    -Journal of American History

  • "During these times that challenge our freedoms there is no one more qualified to make U.S. history relevant to the fight against big government than Thomas Woods."
    -Barry Goldwater Jr.
    Former Member of Congress

  • "I strongly recommend Woods's work."
    -The Honorable Ron Paul,
    U.S. House of Representatives

  • "Written with great clarity and fluency, making the complex philosophical and theological concepts approachable."
    -Journal of American Studies

  • "A must-read."
    -Barron's

  • "An excellent reading source for anyone interested in financial markets, and much more so for anyone interested in learning about capitalism without all the misinterpretations being thrown about in the financial media."
    -Asia Times

  • "Provocative, well-written, and deserves to be read."
    -Catholic Historical Review

  • "An engaging and important contribution to scholarship on the history of American Catholicism."
    -Journal of the Historical Society

  • "Woods and [co-author Kevin] Gutzman appeal to both left and right in this constitutionalist jeremiad…. The authors' exegeses of the Constitution and court decisions, heavy on original intent arguments, are lucid and telling."
    -Publishers Weekly

  • "A marvelous read. Every chapter taught me something new and unexpected."
    -Tom Bethell, senior editor,
    The American Spectator

  • "The hottest book today is Meltdown, by my friend Tom Woods."
    -Judge Andrew Napolitano, senior judicial analyst,
    FOX News Channel

  • "Should be required reading."
    -Economic Affairs (London)

  • "Woods, one of the best classical liberal [libertarian] scholars of his generation, has once more placed us in his debt with this lucid and tightly argued book."
    -David Gordon, The Mises Review

  • "Tom Woods is one of my dearest allies in the struggle against wrong-headed and dangerous economic policy."
    -Peter Schiff

What Advice Would You Give?

I receive inquiries like this a lot.

I won’t take up much of your time, but I’m hoping to get a bit of advice from you. I am a long-time political activist, blogger, and former staffer for Ron Paul who is looking to continue to spread the message of liberty through political commentary and education. I’m looking for my next opportunity, but have hit a bit of a brick wall. Is there anything you can recommend for me?

The problem is, a ton of other people feel exactly the same way. It may not always be possible to do this as a career. It may be your calling, but not your career.

What are your thoughts?

Unlearn the Propaganda!

  • Carson

    Start or join a moral business, exchange value freely with your fellow man, present the world with one improved unit and spread the ideas of liberty where you find fertile ground, most especially your well loved children.

  • Antoine P

    Woah… I was watching MisesMedia late last night, and left it on when I went to bed with it just autoplaying one video after the next… and I remember early while I was waking up and it was still on and I was half-listening to it, I heard this exact video of Gary North talking about calling vs. career.

    You’re creepy Dr. Woods :)

  • Anonymous

    My source of income has never coincided with my “calling”. This often leaves my coworkers to ask, “what are *you* doing in this line of work?”. I am not even joking. Thankfully I am good at my job, I guess.

  • Z

    I agree with Carson’s comment. I think the best way is to just live life and influence people that you meet. Become a doctor or a businessman or a farmer or whatever you want and provide a way for people to live without using coercion. If you’re a doctor, treat people who are poor for free and explain to them that you don’t want to take money that has been taken by force, for example. I think the best way is to become a respected member of your community through good works and then people will listen.

  • Chris

    Liberty Lawyers! Start a nationwide network of legal experts to help fight for freedom and defend the down-trodden.

  • http://twitter.com/TheJakeRT Jake Thomas

    Career wise? I wouldn’t know. But, one thing I do know is that we need intellectuals in order to win this fight. Educate yourselves.

    Me right now I’m a college student and I’m also a precinct chair in Tarrant County Texas. We’re fighting to get David Simpson elected speaker in the Texas house of Representatives the 2nd most powerful man in Texas Politics.

  • Ronnie

    Nullification and informed juries. They are the peaceful methods that we have to directly influence positive change. If people knew they had these tools, they would get involved. On a website, you could list all the major unconstitutional laws and optional -why they are unconstitutional. Let the readers vote for the one they want repealed. When there are enough votes for that one, mobilize into calling and writing their legislators.

  • anon

    Individuals are having a problem making a difference or finding opportunities to make a difference, as this inquiry is suggesting. Campaign for liberty, clearly, is not the way to go to make a difference.

    Two paths in life – apparently your calling is not ready to take off yet into a career, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t meant to be a career won’t be a future career.

    Power are in numbers, leadership, plan, coalitions, and funding. So, find like-minded individuals to form a group (not infiltrators) and those who have millions/billions for funding or public exposure and then move things forward that way. Perhaps you can attach to semi-estab or established groups to take off from.

  • Gamble

    Lawyers’ rely on the State and will never bite the hand that
    feeds them.

    Esquire is in the bag.

  • Dorwin Dow

    In the natural course of your life, spread the knowledge, understanding, application, and consciousness of liberty from the grassroots upward. If you have a larger role to play, that role will emerge, and most likely others will observe your work and call on you to play it.

  • Dorwin Dow

    In the normal course of your life, spread the knowledge, understanding, practice, and consciousness of liberty from the grassroots upward. Whether you should play a larger role will become evident, and if so, most likely you will be called to it by others who observe your work.

  • LaurieBluedorn

    My husband and I are in the same dilemma. Today we joined the Republican Liberty Caucus and will be starting an Illinois chapter.

  • Dorwin Dow

    Sorry for the repeat. The first didn’t never showed up on my screen for a while, so I tried it again. I like my original wording better. :>)

  • John campise

    Just do it. Even if you don’t get paid. Follow your heart. It may not even pay off in your lifetime, but you will be fulfilled now by doing it. Bring liberty ideas into your current career. My personal career (health care) is prospering because I do the opposite for my patients of what the government tells me to do for them. (Turning the food pyramid upside down, encourage them to pay out of pocket for their health rather than wait for Medicare to cure them, take acid pills for heartburn instead of ant-acids, eat more eggs to lower cholesterol not less, etc.)

  • Chris Barcelo

    Spot on. I always recommend that very same video to people (and myself). The truth is it may not be your career. This is the number one thing that upsets people about economics and libertarianism, life is a b-word… However pretending that is not the case will not change things.

    Sometimes you have to earn your DMVP in a less than ideal way. If it is your passion find the time to work on it. If you’re a good entrepreneur and the opportunity arises (and you have the adequate resources to meet it) than perhaps this will happen. But remember earning a living for liberty still is subject to the laws of supply and demand in all respects.

    If it’s any consolation the more people work on the liberty front perhaps more possibilities can be realized. Nothing has come before without much sacrifice.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=806135203 Patrick Hatten

    Tom [and Gary North] are exactly right. You may never make money doing this. The ideal thing to do if you would like to increase your chances though is to find a niché. What are you doing differently from Tom Woods or Lew Rockwell or anyone else? Are you the expert in your topic?

    Also, you may not be the star of the show. I know that I’m not. But the people working hard behind the scenes can help make a major impact, too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dave.helgert Dave Helgert

    Hit a brick wall? Well two choices remain. Go back the way you came or find a way through or around.

    My two suggestions are based on the concept of expanding your target audience.
    1. Liberty Classroom for kids. Get it out for homeschoolers and work to get it into public classrooms as well.
    2. Woodland – Think Sesame Street meets Libertarianism. On tv reach the future generations while they are young.

  • http://twitter.com/tomesnyder Tom E. Snyder

    Who is 1st?

  • http://twitter.com/tomesnyder Tom E. Snyder

    You apparently haven’t heard of Institute for Justice (ij.org).

  • anon

    Good idea.

  • anon

    The party platform you choose is critical – meaning republican leadership (ex- rove, and even soros) control that party so you can only do so much within the bounds they set. And clearly they don’t let anythingelse thru but what they want. So unfortunately you may just be wasting your time.

    I would suggest libertarian or constitution party and work to reform them to be better and more effective – at least the platform is not as corrupted as the current one you have chosen.

    You may say you may have more media resources in republican party, but that comes at a great cost of what you have to give up.

  • Rick20033

    This is a frustrating topic for me because I know that there are tens of thousands of talented, smart, creative, charismatic people out there that are dying to put their abilities to work to save the nation, and that they COULD save the nation if they (we, since I include myself) were able to do so, but they can’t. A lot of us don’t have anything left in the tank at the end of the workday. The person who comes up with a way for people to work full-time for liberty will, I believe, save the country.

  • http://twitter.com/TheJakeRT Jake Thomas

    We just lost that vote today. But to answer your question The Lieutenant Governor – David Dewhurst. June of last year he lost a Senate run to Ted Cruz.

  • James C March

    How often I forget… What I want to do will only earn me a living if others are willing to pay me to do it! Think of it as voting with dollars. To get elected, I have to convince people to give me their votes. To earn a living, I have to convince people to give me their money! I think the real question is, how much am I willing to satisfy other people’s wants to get my own. Warning: Compromise is not good for the ego.