Adam Smith Quotes

The origin of all revolutions and corruption, and the spur and source of all base morals are just two sayings: The First Saying: 'So long as I'm full, what is it to me if others die of hunger?' The Second Saying: 'You suffer hardship so that I can live in ease; you work so that I can eat.'

The bulk of mankind have indeed, in all countries in their turn, been made the prey of ambition.

Men will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work. History shows this quite clearly. And under these conditions, neither religion nor morality can stop it. When, then, does plunder stop? It stops when it becomes more painful and more dangerous than labor.

There is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust, while the infamous sit at banquets.

I don't understand when people are being greedy or mean, when they say who should get what, when they get control of someone else's life.

History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.

There is none to tell the rich to go on striving, for a rich man makes the law that hallows and hollows his own life.

The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places.

We're not all nice, and there are a lot of levels of ambition and niceness.

What are your masses [of humanity] but mud to be ground underfoot, fuel to be burned for those who deserve it?

The seven blunders that human society commits and cause all the violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, and politics without principles.

… egotists, exploiters and aristocrats

One of the most constant laws of history is … immediately [if] any one class becomes preponderant—nobles, clergy, army, or the people—it speedily tends to enslave others.

It is as much in the order of nature that men should enslave each other as that animals should prey upon each other.

… as a rule capitalists and entrepreneurs are not saints excelling in the virtue of self-denial. But neither are their critics saintly.

The whole history of the world has been the struggle between the selfish and the unselfish.

Vice is Washington's signature. A fish rots from the head, and Washington has led our country into vice, greed, selfishness, and the mockery and destruction of human life.

In war, the strong make slaves of the weak, and in peace the rich makes slaves of the poor.

Capitalism is the worst friend of humanity.

The truth is that neither British nor American imperialism was or is idealistic. It has always been driven by economic or strategic interests.

Man is essentially a selfish creature. The differences in the degree with which this developed are infinite.

Most men have always wanted as much as they could get; and possession has always blunted the fine edge of their altruism.

In poor countries, the rich and powerful crush the poor and powerless.

The usual cause of evil in the world is that at any given time half the people in the world are awake.

Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.