Quotes by Adam Smith

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However selfish we may think man to be, yet we must admit that a certain natural disposition of his heart compels him to share in the fate of his brethren.

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To teach man to respect justice, you must show him the results of justice.

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Man's character has an influence on the happiness of other people, according to the benefit it can bring.

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Vanity is but the improper effort to gain fame before it is deserved.

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Only the ultimate wretch can find pleasure in undeserved praise.

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The sense of duty is our respect for common moral norms

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Cowardly and petty people often have fits of rage against their subordinates and against those who dare to oppose them, imagining that they are thereby proving their courage.

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Self-control in moments of anger is as noble a thing as self-control in moments of fear.

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How many days of work, how many sleepless nights, how many mental efforts, how much hope and fear, how many lives are hidden in the small letters of the books that surround us.

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Happiness visits us in various forms and is very subtle, but I have seen happiness more often among children and in the small houses of peasants than in other places.

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The error that also contains some truth is the most dangerous.

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Every spendthrift is the enemy of society, every hoarder is a benefactor.

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The great secret of education is to direct ambition in the right places.

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The bestseller is the gilded tomb of mediocre talent.

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In order to have more chances to win one of the bigger prizes, some people buy more lottery tickets, and others buy a small share of even more lottery tickets. However, there is no more certain theorem in mathematics than the fact that the more lottery tickets you try, the more likely you are to lose.

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Man (...) constantly needs the help of his neighbors, but he does not expect this from their kindness alone. You're much more likely to succeed if you harness their selfishness to your advantage and convince them that it's in their best interest to do what you want them to do...

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Science is the great antidote to the poison of religious zeal and superstition.

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The direct cause of the increase of capital is not work, but frugality. It is true that hard work creates the wealth that can be accumulated through frugality, but no matter how much work creates, our capital could never grow if we did not manage frugally and save.

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The sheep should not be slaughtered, but sheared.

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Love is something that first gives you wings so that you can bind those wings all the more.

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Vanity is often an effort to possess true glory prematurely.

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Philosophy is the science of the principles of natural relationships.

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The most definite sign of a country's prosperity is the growth of its population.