Leonard Read's classic now in the Telugu Language!

Introduction for the Telugu edition of “I, Pencil”

If anyone were to say to me, “I know how to plan an economy,” my immediate response would be, “That’s absurd. You don’t even know how to make a pencil!”

The late Leonard Read, who authored the profound and timeless essay “I, Pencil” in 1958, was a remarkable man I personally knew in his later years. He understood that arrogance and conceit formed the core of socialist thinking. Most people have a full-time job managing their own lives; managing the lives of dozens of others is next to impossible; attempting to manage the lives of millions of people is preposterous.  Choosing to make this point clear by way of a common, simple pencil was a work of genius.

In his many speeches, Leonard frequently identified the “know-it-all” attitude as destructive of both peace and freedom. When someone thinks he has all the answers, that he can live your life better than you can, that he should compel you to carry out his wishes, the result is violence and serfdom.

But once one realizes how little he really knows, he becomes more humble, more willing to tolerate differences in others, and more focused on improving himself. If he understands that the making of a simple pencil requires the voluntary cooperation of many free individuals, he then is more likely to embrace the miracle of the marketplace. That certainly was Leonard’s hope in composing this famous essay.

Over the decades, “I, Pencil” has appeared in print and audio form all over the world and in countless languages. This, however, is its debut in Telugu, which assures that many people in the Asian subcontinent will now have the pleasure of learning its message. Leonard would be very proud of this edition, and very appreciative of every person who reads it.

Thank you, dear readers, for taking the time to read and contemplate the far-reaching implications of Leonard Read’s masterpiece.

--- Lawrence W. Reed, President Emeritus

Foundation for Economic Education

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

About the Swatantrata Center, publisher of this Telugu edition:

Swatantrata Center is an Indian liberal public policy think tank dedicated to removing barriers to human flourishing, enabling all individuals to live with dignity. As a public policy organization, it promotes economic freedom, civil liberties, and decentralization in India. Through policy education, digital campaigns, and grassroots advocacy, it envisions a prosperous society where individuals thrive. Here is the website: https://swatantrata.org/ and https://www.yppindia.in/.

I, Pencil Telugu edition: This is the first-ever Telugu edition of Leonard E. Read’s timeless classic, and we are proud to bring this powerful story to a new audience in the Indian subcontinent. An estimated 96 million people speak Telugu, mostly in central and southeastern India. Here’s the link to read the essay in Telugu: https://swatantrata.org/i-pencil/

For more on I, Pencil see: “10 Essays Celebrating 60 Years of I, Pencil”: https://fee.org/resources/10-essays-celebrating-60-years-of-i-pencil/