David Ricardo

Profits are the reward of the capitalist for the use of his capital.

Wages depend on the demand for labour relative to the supply.

The natural price of labour is that price which is necessary to enable the sellers of labour to subsist and to perpetuate their race, without either increase or diminution.

Corn is not only a necessary of life, but the principal object of cultivation.

The importation of corn would lower its price and thus benefit the consumer.

Free trade in corn would prevent the monopoly of the landlords.

The Corn Laws are a tax on the poor for the benefit of the rich.

Experience shows that the frequent and unlooked-for variations to which the prices of corn are subject, are occasioned by the variations in the quantity harvested.

The low price of corn tends to raise the profits of stock.

In the progress of society, the demand for manufactures increases faster than for agriculture.

The accumulation of capital naturally leads to an increase in population and demand for food.

Money is the measure of value, but not the cause of it.

The Bank of England has depreciated the currency by issuing too much paper money.

A paper currency not redeemable in specie is a source of great mischief.

The principles of political economy cannot be derived from mere observation; they require deduction from axioms.

It is the province of the economist to teach the community what their true interests are.

The science of political economy is of recent origin and is still in its infancy.

Adam Smith has laid the foundation, but much remains to be built upon it.

The division of labour is limited by the extent of the market.

International trade benefits all parties through comparative advantage.