June 7, 2024 10:43AM # David Boaz, Our Great Persuader By [Walter Olson](https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson) --- SHARE Listen to this article Generated with [ ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/) AI technology. Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech) AudioNative Player... When I think of the most effective advocates of individual freedom in my generation, David Boaz is Number One, and there is no Number Two. No one has combined a more discerning judgment, a more unflagging dedication to principle, a more deft command of tone, such a relish in and curiosity for knowledge for its own sake, such a concern with being fair to opponents, such a knack for reaching so many kinds of audience. Wherever my work takes me I meet his students, readers, and admirers, those he has helped and influenced. David was regularly described as the heart and soul of Cato. He is the reason I am at the institute, having reached out to bring me on board as a fellow in 2010. He knew Cato, he knew his old friends, and his instincts as to how I could best fit in were always right. Through Cato’s work and in a hundred other ways, my friend David’s light will shine on. ##### Related Tags [Libertarianism](https://www.cato.org/libertarianism) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).