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The Wealth of Nations quotes

Adam Smith

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“There is no art which one government sooner learns of another, than that of draining money from the pockets of the people.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“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.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“The man whose whole life is spent in performing a few simple operations, of which the effects, too, are perhaps always the same, or very nearly the same, has no occasion to exert his understanding, or to exercise his invention, in finding out...” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards 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...” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Every individual is continually exerting himself to find out the most advantageous employment for whatever capital he can command. It is his own advantage, indeed, and not that of the society, which he has in view. But the study of his own...” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner, in which it is most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“After all that has been said of the levity and inconstancy of human nature, it appears evidently from experience, that man is, of all sorts of luggage, the most difficult to be transported.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Goods can serve many other purposes besides purchasing money, but money can serve no other purpose besides purchasing goods.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“The interest of the dealers, however, in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Every tax ought to be so contrived, as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible, over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the state.” Adam Smith, 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.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“No complaint, however, is more common than that of a scarcity of money.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“A man must always live by his work, and his wages must at least be sufficient to maintain him.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“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.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is, in reality, instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“The tax which each individual is bound to pay, ought to be certain and not arbitrary.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“The value of money is in proportion to the quantity of the necessaries of life which it will purchase.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Wherever there is a great property, there is great inequality.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“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.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“It is not for its own sake that men desire money, but for the sake of what they can purchase with it.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“A merchant, it has been said very properly, is not necessarily the citizen of any particular country.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition; and where all the superior ranks of people were secured from it, the inferior ranks could not be much exposed to it.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Labour . . . is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“It is the fear of losing their employment which restrains his frauds and corrects his negligence.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in that of a great kingdom.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“With the greater part of rich people, the chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches; which, in their eye, is never so complete as when they appear to possess those decisive marks of opulence which nobody can possess but themselves.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“It is not by augmenting the capital of the country, but by rendering a greater part of that capital active and productive than would otherwise be so, that the most judicious operations of banking can increase the industry of the country.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“In England, and in all Roman catholic countries, the lottery of the church is in reality much more advantageous than is necessary.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Our merchants and master manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price, and thereby lessening the sale of their goods, both at home and abroad. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits; they...” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
“Adventure upon all the tickets in the lottery, and you lose for certain; and the greater the number of your tickets, the nearer you approach to this certainty.” Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

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money tax understanding government interest people poverty work wages wealth society business state trade property public exchange lottery richness democracy

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Adam Smith quotes