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Quote by Adam Smith

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

This classic text delves into the principles of economics, analyzing the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, and their impact on economic growth and societal welfare. more

Author

Adam Smith
Adam Smith

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. more

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“As to individuals, other methods were employed with them, in order so thoroughly to disunite every party, and even every family, that no concert, order, or effect, might appear in any future opposition. And in this manner an Administration without connection with the people, or with one another, was first put in possession of Government.”

“Until the late modern era, more than 90 per cent of humans were peasants who rose each morning to till the land by the sweat of their brows. The extra they produced fed the tiny minority of elites - kings, government officials, soldiers, priests, artists and thinkers - who fill the history books. History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was plowing fields and carrying water buckets.”

“Here’s one way you might punctuate and structure the excerpt for clarity: --- “Life is terrifying. None of us have a rule book. None of us know what we’re doing here, so the easiest way to stare reality in the face and not utterly lose your shit is to believe that you have control over it. If you believe you have control, then you believe that you’re at the top. And if you’re at the top, then people—well, they’ve got to be somewhere lower, right? Every species does this—does it again and again and again. It doesn’t matter if they do it to themselves, another species, or someone they created.” She jutted her chin toward Tack. “You studied history. You know this. Everybody’s history is one long slog of all the horrible shit we’ve done to each other.” “A lot of it, yes,” Tack said, “but there are good things too. There’s art, and cities, and science—all the things we’ve discovered, all the things we’ve learned and made better.” “All the things made better for some people. Nobody has ever figured out how to make things better for everybody. That’s why we have to keep talking to each other and listening,” Pepper said. Tack nodded human style and said. “And listening.”

“Life is terrifying. None of us have a rule book. None of us know what we’re doing here, so the easiest way to stare reality in the face and not utterly lose your shit is to believe that you have control over it. If you believe you have control, then you believe that you’re at the top. And if you’re at the top, then people—well, they’ve got to be somewhere lower, right? Every species does this—does it again and again and again. It doesn’t matter if they do it to themselves, another species, or someone they created.” She jutted her chin toward Tack. “You studied history. You know this. Everybody’s history is one long slog of all the horrible shit we’ve done to each other.” “A lot of it, yes,” Tack said, “but there are good things too. There’s art, and cities, and science—all the things we’ve discovered, all the things we’ve learned and made better.” “All the things made better for some people. Nobody has ever figured out how to make things better for everybody. That’s why we have to keep talking to each other and listening,” Pepper said. Tack nodded human style and said. “And listening.”