Adam Smith Quotes

Philosopher

Adam Smith, a renowned philosopher and economist from Britain, was born on June 5, 1723, and died on July 17, 1790. Known as the father of modern economics, his work 'The Wealth of Nations' had a profound impact on the development of economics.

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Famous Adam Smith Quotes

“The disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.”

Mean Persons Causes Wealth Poor Powerful Moral Rich Conditions Worship Universal Corruption Admire Inequality Neglect Sentiments Despise Disposition

Book:The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Source: The Theory of Moral Sentiments

“Every man is rich or poor according to the degree in which he can afford to enjoy the necessaries, conveniences, and amusements of human life.”

Men Humans Enjoy Wealth Poor Money Rich Degrees Every Man Human Life Amusement Convenience Rich Or Poor

Book:An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“The liberal reward of labor, therefore, as it is the necessary effect, so it is the natural symptom of increasing national wealth. The scanty maintenance of the laboring poor, on the other hand, is the natural symptom that things are at a stand, and their starving condition that they going backwards fast.”

Hands Natural Wealth Poor Conditions Effects Economics Labor Rewards Backwards Symptoms Starving Maintenance

Book:The Wealth of Nations: Representative Selections

Source: The Wealth of Nations: Representative Selections

“The rate of profit... is naturally low in rich and high in poor countries, and it is always highest in the countries which are going fastest to ruin.”

Country Poor Rich Highest Lows Economics Rate Profit Ruins Poor Countries

Author:Adam Smith

“The subjects of every state ought to contribute toward the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state ....As Henry Home (Lord Kames) has written, a goal of taxation should be to 'remedy inequality of riches as much as possible, by relieving the poor and burdening the rich.'”

Should States Home Government Enjoy Goal Ability Poor Lord Support Rich Written Subjects Ought Economics Protection Libertarian Riches Inequality Proportion Remedy Taxation Revenue

Author:Adam Smith

“A criminal is a person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation.Most government is by the rich for the rich. Government comprises a large part of the organized injustice in any society, ancient or modern.Civil government, insofar as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor, and for the defence of those who have property against those who have none.”

Persons Reality Government Form Poor Rich Modern Security Capitalism Property Instinct Injustice Ancient Criminals Corporations Sufficient Organized Defence Predatory

Author:Adam Smith

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable. It is but equity, besides, that they who feed, clothe and lodge the whole body of the people, should have such a share of the produce of their own labour as to be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed and lodged.”

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“When the toll upon carriages of luxury, upon coaches, post-chaises, etc. is made somewhat higher in proportion to their weight, than upon carriages of necessary use, such as carts, wagons, etc. the indolence and vanity of the rich is made to contribute in a very easy manner to the relief of the poor, by rendering cheaper the transportation of heavy goods to all the different parts of the country.”

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. They find it difficult to get food, and the greater part of their little revenue is spent in getting it. The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess ... It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.”

Should Littles House Difficult Poor Rich Greater Advantage Luxury Vanity Occasions Proportion Expenses Principal Magnificent Taxation Revenue Unreasonable Progressive Taxation

Author:Adam Smith

“A very poor man may be said in some sense to have a demand for a coach and six; he might like to have it; but his demand is not an effectual demand, as the commodity can never be brought to market in order to satisfy it.”

Men May Said Might Order Poor Demand Six Coaches Commodity Poor Man

Book:An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“Poor David Hume is dying fast, but with more real cheerfulness and good humor and with more real resignation to the necessary course of things, than any whining Christian ever dyed with pretended resignation to the will of God.”

Real Christian Courses Poor Dying Gods Will Fake People Resignation Cheerfulness Whining Good Christian Good Humor Hume

Author:Adam Smith

“Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.”

Reality Government Poor Economy Rich Security Property Defense Libertarian Individualism Wealth Of Nations

Book:An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

“Wherever there is great property there is great inequality. For one very rich man there must be at least five hundred poor, and the affluence of the few supposes the indigence of the many. The affluence of the rich excites the indignation of the poor, who are often both driven by want, and prompted by envy, to invade his possessions.”

Men Want Poor Rich Five Hundred Property Possession Envy Driven Inequality Rich Man Indignation Affluence

Book:An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations

Source: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations