Anne Robert Jacques Turgot
French economist who promoted free trade and opposed monopolies.
Most quoted
"Professional observation: 'The physiocratic system reveals that net product comes solely from agriculture.'"
— from Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth, 1766
"Witty remark: 'The king's finances are like a leaky ship; we must plug the holes before it sinks.'"
— from Speech, 1774
"The only way to increase the wealth of a nation is to increase the productivity of its labor."
— from Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth, 1770
All quotes by Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (102)
The entrepreneur is the agent of progress.
War is the greatest enemy of economic freedom.
Property rights are the cornerstone of liberty.
Inflation erodes the foundations of society.
The division of labor multiplies human powers.
Bureaucracy is the grave of initiative.
True wealth flows from the soil.
Liberty without virtue is license.
Public debt is a chain on future generations.
Innovation thrives in freedom.
The merchant connects nations.
Taxes on consumption harm the poor most.
Capital is accumulated labor.
Revolutions in thought precede revolutions in action.
Free trade in ideas as in goods.
The state exists for the people, not vice versa.
Profit is the reward of risk.
Enlightenment is the path to prosperity.
On his deathbed: 'I die without regret, having served my country.'
Witty remark: 'The king's finances are like a leaky ship; we must plug the holes before it sinks.'
Contemporaries of Anne Robert Jacques Turgot
Other Economicss born within 50 years of Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (1727–1781).