"The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition, when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, n…"

"The propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another is common to all men, and to be found in no other race of animals."

"To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers, may at first sight appear a project fit only for a nation of shopkeepers. It is, however, a project altogether unfit f…"

"The third and last duty of the sovereign or commonwealth is that of erecting and maintaining those public institutions and those public works, which, though they may be in the highest degree advantage…"

"The wealth of a country consists, not in its gold and silver only, but in its lands, houses, and consumable goods of all different kinds."