Adam Smith quotes - page 8

It is the highest impertinence and presumption, therefore, in kings and ministers to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense. They are themselves, always, and without any exception, the greatest spendthrifts in the society. (Adam Smith)
Fear is in almost all cases a wretched instrument of government, and ought in particular never to be employed against any order of men who have the smallest pretensions to independency. View quote
Adam Smith
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. It is impossible indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or would be consistent with liberty or justice. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary. View quote
Adam Smith
Every tax, however, is to the person who pays it a badge, not of slavery but of liberty. It denotes that he is a subject to government, indeed, but that, as he has some property, he cannot himself be the property of a master. View quote
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. View quote
Adam Smith
Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate differences between masters and their workmen, its counsellors are always the masters. When the regulation, therefore, is in favor of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes otherwise when in favor of the masters. View quote
Adam Smith
Thus the labour of a manufacture adds, generally, to the value of the materials which he works upon, that of his own maintenance, and of his masters profits. The labour of a menial servant, on the contrary, adds to the value of nothing. View quote
Adam Smith
The violence and injustice of the rulers of mankind. View quote
Adam Smith
By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that. View quote
Adam Smith
Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate the differences between masters and their. View quote
Adam Smith
The proposal of any new law or regulation of commerce which comes from this order, ought always to be listened to with great precaution. (Adam Smith)
It comes from an order of men, whose interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public. View quote
Adam Smith
Fear is in almost all cases a wretched instrument of government. View quote
Adam Smith
Europeans rendered an event, which ought to have been beneficial to all, ruinous and destructive to. View quote
Adam Smith
Lands for the purposes of pleasure and magnificence. View quote
Adam Smith
They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people. View quote
Adam Smith
The proper performance of those several duties of the sovereign necessarily supposes a certain expence; and this expence again necessarily requires a certain revenue to support it. View quote
Adam Smith
But whoever imagines, upon this account, that masters rarely combine, is as. View quote
Adam Smith
When the happiness or misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self–love might suggest to us, prefer the interest of one to that of many. The man within immediately calls to us, that we value ourselves too much and other people too little, and that, by doing so, we render ourselves the proper object of the contempt and indignation of our brethren. View quote
Adam Smith
Labour, therefore, is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities. View quote
Adam Smith
Every system which endeavours, either, by extraordinary encouragements, to draw towards a particular species of industry a greater share of the capital of the society than what would naturally go to it; or, by extraordinary restraints, to force from a particular species of industry some share of the capital which would otherwise be employed in it; is in reality subversive of the great purpose which it means to promote. (Adam Smith)
It proposes to enrich both the people and the sovereign. View quote
Adam Smith
Every tax, however, is to the person who pays it a badge, not of slavery but of liberty. View quote
Adam Smith
The labour of a menial servant, on the contrary, adds to the value of nothing. View quote
Adam Smith
A very poor man may be said in some sense to have a demand for a coach and six. View quote
Adam Smith