Adam Smith Quotes - Page 8

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That this is the source of our fellow-feeling for the misery of others, that it is by changing places in fancy with the sufferer, that we come either to conceive or to be affected by what he feels, may be demonstrated by many obvious observations, if it should not be thought sufficiently evident of itself. When we see a stroke aimed and just ready to fall upon the leg or arm of another person, we naturally shrink and draw back our own leg or our own arm; and when it does fall, we feel it in some measure, and are hurt by it as well as the sufferer.

Adam Smith

Hurt, Fall, Empathy

Adam Smith (2016). “The Essays on Philosophical Subjects: the Great Master”, p.7, VM eBooks

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The importation of gold and silver is not the principal, much less the sole benefit which a nation derives from its foreign trade.

Adam Smith

Gold, Benefits, Silver

Adam Smith (2007). “The Wealth of Nations: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: With an introduction by Jonathan B. Wight, University of Richmond”, p.400, Harriman House Limited

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Every faculty in one man is the measure by which he judges of the like faculty in another. I judge of your sight by my sight, of your ear by my ear, of your reason by my reason, of your resentment by my resentment, of your love by my love. I neither have, nor can have, any other way of judging about them.

Adam Smith

Men, Sight, Judging

Adam Smith (2012). “The Theory of Moral Sentiments”, p.13, Courier Corporation

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As we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation.

Adam Smith

Men, Ideas, Empathy

Adam Smith, James R. Otteson (2004). “Adam Smith: Selected Philosophical Writings”, p.11, Imprint Academic

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I am always willing to run some hazard of being tedious, in order to be sure that I am perspicuous; and, after taking the utmost pains that I can to be perspicuous, some obscurity may still appear to remain upon a subject, in its own nature extremely abstracted.

Adam Smith

Running, Pain, Order

Adam Smith (2007). “The Wealth of Nations: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: With an introduction by Jonathan B. Wight, University of Richmond”, p.62, Harriman House Limited

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Masters are always and everywhere in a sort of tacit, but constant and uniform combination, not to raise the wages of labor.

Adam Smith

Wages, Uniforms, Economics

Adam Smith (1843). “An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations With a Life of the Author: Also a View of the Doctrine of Smith, Compared with that of the French Economists, with a Method of Facilitating the Study of His Works, from the French of M. Jariner”, p.28

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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.

Adam Smith

Add, Maintenance, Masters

Adam Smith (2007). “The Wealth of Nations: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: With an introduction by Jonathan B. Wight, University of Richmond”, p.311, Harriman House Limited

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Though the profusion of Government must undoubtedly have retarded the natural progress of England to wealth and improvement, it has not been able to stop it.

Adam Smith

Government, Progress, Able

Adam Smith (1843). “An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations With a Life of the Author: Also a View of the Doctrine of Smith, Compared with that of the French Economists, with a Method of Facilitating the Study of His Works, from the French of M. Jariner”, p.142

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The emotions of the spectator will still be very apt to fall short of the violence of what is felt by the sufferer. Mankind, though naturally sympathetic, never conceive, for what has befallen another, that degree of passion which naturally animates the person principally concerned.

Adam Smith

Fall, Passion, Empathy

Adam Smith, James R. Otteson (2004). “Adam Smith: Selected Philosophical Writings”, p.22, Imprint Academic

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When we have read a book or poem so often that we can no longer find any amusement in reading it by ourselves, we can still take pleasure in reading it to a companion. To him it has all the graces of novelty.

Adam Smith

Book, Reading, Grace

Adam Smith (1869). “Essays On, I. Moral Sentiments: II. Astronomical Inquiries; III. Formation of Languages; IV. History of Ancient Physics; V. Ancient Logic and Metaphysicis; VI. The Imitative Arts; VII. Music, Dancing, Poetry; VIII. The External Senses; IX. English and Italian Verses”, p.14

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Men of the most robust make, observe that in looking upon sore eyes they often feel a very sensible soreness in their own, which proceeds from the same reason; that organ being in the strongest man more delicate, than any other part of the body is in the weakest.

Adam Smith

Eye, Men, Empathy

Adam Smith (1869). “Essays On, I. Moral Sentiments: II. Astronomical Inquiries; III. Formation of Languages; IV. History of Ancient Physics; V. Ancient Logic and Metaphysicis; VI. The Imitative Arts; VII. Music, Dancing, Poetry; VIII. The External Senses; IX. English and Italian Verses”, p.10

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China is a much richer country than any part of Europe.

Adam Smith

Country, Europe, China

Adam Smith (1819). “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, p.262

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The mob, when they are gazing at a dancer on the slack rope, naturally writhe and twist and balance their own bodies, as they see him do.

Adam Smith

Empathy, Dancer, Balance

Adam Smith (1869). “Essays On, I. Moral Sentiments: II. Astronomical Inquiries; III. Formation of Languages; IV. History of Ancient Physics; V. Ancient Logic and Metaphysicis; VI. The Imitative Arts; VII. Music, Dancing, Poetry; VIII. The External Senses; IX. English and Italian Verses”, p.10

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To hinder, besides, the farmer from selling his goods at all times to the best market, is evidently to sacrifice the ordinary laws of justice to an idea of public utility, to a sort of reasons of state; an act of legislative authority which ought to be exercised only, which can be pardoned only in cases of the most urgent necessity.

Adam Smith

Sacrifice, Law, Ideas

Adam Smith, William Playfair (1811). “An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations”, p.26

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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.

Adam Smith

Christian, Fake People, Real

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It may indeed be doubted whether butchers' meet is anywhere a necessary of life. Grain and other vegetables, with the help of milk, cheese, and butter, or oil where butter is not to be had, afford the most plentiful, the most wholesome, the most nourishing, and the most invigorating diet. Decency nowhere requires that any man should eat butchers' meat.

Adam Smith

Men, Vegetarianism, Vegetables

Adam Smith (1869). “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Volume 2”, p.473

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The annual labour of every nation is the fund which originally supplies it with all the necessaries and conveniencies of life which it annually consumes, and which consist always either in the immediate produce of that labour, or in what is purchased with that produce from other nations.

Adam Smith

Origin Of Life, Produce, Wealth Of Nations

Adam Smith (1827). “An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, p.1

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Good roads, canals, and navigable rivers, by diminishing the expence of carriage, put the remote parts of the country more nearly upon a level with with those of the neighbourhood of the town. They are upon that the greatest of all improvements.

Adam Smith

Country, Rivers, Levels

Adam Smith (2016). “The Wealth of Nations: the Great Master”, p.173, VM eBooks

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In public, as well as in private expences, great wealth may, perhaps, frequently be admitted as an apology for great folly.

Adam Smith

Apology, May, Wealth

Adam Smith, William Playfair (1811). “An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations”, p.13

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That a joint stock company should be able to carry on successfully any branch of foreign trade, when private adventurers can come into any sort of open and fair competition with them, seems contrary to all experience.

Adam Smith

Competition, Branches, Able

Adam Smith, William Playfair (1811). “An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations”, p.190

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Avarice and injustice are always shortsighted, and they did not foresee how much this regulation must obstruct improvement, and thereby hurt in the long-run the real interest of the landlord.

Adam Smith

Running, Hurt, Real

Adam Smith, Laurence Dickey (1993). “Wealth of Nations (Abridged)”, p.95, Hackett Publishing

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The principle which prompts to save is the desire of bettering our conditiona desire which?comes with us from the womb and never leaves us till we go into the grave.

Adam Smith

Desire, Principles, Graves

1776 An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, bk.2, ch.3.

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The natural price, therefore, is, as it were, the central price, to which the prices of all commodities are continually gravitating.

Adam Smith

Commodity, Natural, Wealth Of Nations

Adam Smith (2016). “The Wealth of Nations: the Great Master”, p.70, VM eBooks

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Both ground- rents and the ordinary rent of land are a species of revenue which the owner, in many cases, enjoys without any care or attention of his own. The annual produce of the land and labour of the society, the real wealth and revenue of the great body of the people, might be the same after such a tax as before. Ground-rents, and the ordinary rent of land are, therefore, perhaps the species of revenue which can best bear to have a peculiar tax imposed upon them.

Adam Smith

Real, Land, People

Adam Smith (1869). “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Volume 2”, p.437

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The liberal reward of labour, therefore, as it is the affect of increasing wealth, so it is the cause of increasing population. To complain of it, is to lament over the necessary effect and cause of the greatest public prosperity.

Adam Smith

Population, Complaining, Rewards

Adam Smith (2010). “An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, p.85, Cosimo, Inc.

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Born: June 5, 1723
Died: July 17, 1790
Occupation: Philosopher
Cite this Page: Citation

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