“The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.”
“The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life seems to arise from overrating the difference between one permanent situation and another.”
“Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.”
“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”
“The invisible hand guides resources to their most efficient use.”
“Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this.”
“Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice.”
“Labor was the first price, the original purchase – money that was paid for all things.”
“The propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another is common to all men.”
“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.”
“The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition is a powerful force for public good.”
“The division of labor, when properly applied, has been the greatest improvement in the productive powers of labor.”
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”
“To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers may at first sight appear a project fit only for a nation of shopkeepers.”
“Every man lives by exchanging.”
“All money is a matter of belief.”
“Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.”
“The wealth of a nation is the sum of the goods its people produce and exchange.”
“Self-interest drives economic prosperity.”
“The pursuit of wealth and economic growth depends on freedom and enterprise.”
“A man is rich or poor according to the degree in which he can afford to enjoy the necessaries, conveniences, and amusements of human life.”
“Happiness never lays its finger on its pulse.”
“By pursuing his own interest, he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.”
“Monopolies harm the market and hinder competition.”
“The value of any commodity is the quantity of labor which it enables one to purchase or command.”
“The interest of the consumer must always come before the interest of the producer.”
“Virtue is more to be feared than vice because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience.”
“Resentment seems to have been given us by nature for defense, and for defense only.”
“The annual labor of every nation is the fund which originally supplies it with all the necessaries and conveniences of life.”
“Where competition is free, the market will correct itself.”
“The prudent man always acts with cautious circumspection.”
“People of the same trade seldom meet together without the conversation ending in a conspiracy against the public.”
“Labor alone is the ultimate source of value.”
“The division of labor is limited by the extent of the market.”
“Great nations are never impoverished by private, though they sometimes are by public prodigality and misconduct.”
“The love of our own country seems not to be derived from the love of mankind.”
“Markets work best when left to their own devices, free of government interference.”
“Defense is superior to opulence.”
“A nation’s prosperity depends on the productivity of its labor force.”
“The market price of every particular commodity is regulated by the proportion between the quantity which is actually brought to market and the demand of those who are willing to pay.”
“An invisible hand often guides individuals to promote societal good while pursuing their personal interests.”
“No matter how rich you are, you can’t buy happiness.”
“As soon as government management begins, market efficiency ends.”
“Custom is the great guide of human life.”
“A well-governed society is essential to economic stability and growth.”
“To restrain private people from making profit, a restriction detrimental to the public, can only serve to discourage enterprise.”
“Trade is what unites mankind in a civilizing force.”
“The best economic outcomes arise when individuals pursue their own interests freely.”
“Wealth is a tool that should be used to promote human happiness and well-being.”
“The ambition to improve our standard of living is one of humanity’s most powerful incentives.”