Collected classic quotations from "The Wealth of Nations"/classic sentences from "The Wealth of Nations"/root excerpts
1. Human beings are born, and will always be, selfish animals.
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
2. We will often find that people with great humanity but lack of self-control in the world, when pursuing the highest honor, , once encountering difficulties and dangers, they are lazy, hesitant, and easily frustrated; on the contrary, we often find that people who can exercise perfect self-control have no difficulties that can frighten their courage, and no dangers can frighten them, but At the same time, they seem indifferent to any sense of justice or humanity.
——Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"
3. We do not get our dinner through the good deeds of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, but from their good deeds. self-interest.
4. 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 self-interest.
——Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"
5. Exchange tends to be motivated by self-interest and leads to division of labor.
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
6. Wealth is the power to exchange labor.
——Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"
7. Never beg for mercy from others, but appeal to their self-interest; never talk about your own affairs to others needs, but only talk about the benefits to them
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
8. Division of labor is the main reason for improving labor productivity.
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
9. Everyone constantly strives to find the most beneficial use for the capital at his disposal. Of course, he was thinking about his own interests. But his regard for his own interests will naturally, or rather necessarily, lead him to favor the uses most beneficial to society. It's like "an invisible hand" is guiding him to try his best to achieve a goal he doesn't want to achieve.
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"
10. Monarchs around the world are greedy and partial. They deceive their subjects and gradually reduce the true weight of the metal originally contained in the currency.
——Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations"