I came across this 1792 quote from British agricultural writer Arthur Young while reading, still, “Locavore’s Dilemma: In Praise of the 10,000 Mile Diet.” As with so much in this book, it is applicable to more than just agriculture and food.

I thought this quote was a great one sentence summary of what happens when property rights are protected.

Give a man the secure possession of a bleak rock and he will turn it into a garden; Give him a nine years’ lease of a garden and he will convert it into a desert.