Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman coined the adage, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." What he meant, of course, is that nothing in life is free. When we get a product or service we call "free," it simply means that someone else paid for it.
We have a policy in our organization never to use the word "free" unless it is associated with freedom. If we are given a product or service we would normally have to pay for, we say we received it "at no cost to us." We do this as a constant reminder that whether it cost time, money, energy, or something else of value, somebody paid that price, and we should be grateful.
Friedman also said, "I think that nothing is so important for freedom as recognizing in the law each individual's natural right to property, and giving individuals a sense that they own something they are responsible for, have control over, and can dispose of."
To learn more about the principles of freedom, go to governingbyprinciple.org