David Kelley saluted freedoms future

David Kelley, at the podium surrounded by UFM’s hosts at the Liberty Plaza

You are the future of freedom.  Those of my generation are here to teach, to help you and to pass the ideas and institutions that we have inherited from previous generations.  But the day will come when you will carry the flame of freedom. Prepare yourselves to make the flame burn, to ignite other flames where you can, to intensify the flame with its thought and effort, to protect the flame during oppressive rainy seasons that inevitably will come, and never never let it extinguish, said David Kelley to the hosting students from Universidad Francisco Marroquín at the greeting dedicated to them during the closing dinner of the Mont Pelerin General Meeting 2006.

«When they requested to me to it speak in this conference, I was very happy to accept because I have a great respect for the Mont Pelerin Society, the Universidad Francisco Marroquín and many friends that I have in both organizations», Kelley explained.

Doctor Kelley is founder and ex-executive director of
The Objectivist Center, at the moment known as The Atlas Society.  At the moment he is Senior Fellow of that objectivist organization and directs the academic and research efforts of the society.  Constantly he produces articles, speeches, courses and books on diverse cultural and philosophical subjects.

I listened to similar words, related Kelley, in 1974 during the meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in Brussels, when I and 2 young persons were invited to the encounter to receive an award.  It was Friedrich A. Hayek who spoke to us, he explained.  «What he said and the fact that it was he who said it, always has been with me as an inspiration», he added.  

Please see the text of Kelleys speech, (
PDF).