David Ricardo

Even if one country is more efficient in all productions, trade is still advantageous.

The theory of rent explains why land of inferior quality pays no rent.

As population increases, the margin of cultivation extends to poorer lands.

Profits fall as wages rise, maintaining the share of the produce.

The whole produce of the land and labour belongs to three classes: landlords, capitalists, and labourers.

In the parliamentary debates, I have always advocated for free trade principles.

The restriction on cash payments by the Bank has caused much distress.

My dear Malthus, you are too optimistic about the effects of population growth.

Economics is not a science of mere facts, but of necessary relations.

The value of labour depends on the obstacles to its employment.

Machinery, when introduced, displaces labour but ultimately increases wealth.

The introduction of machinery may temporarily reduce wages, but not permanently.

Colonies are a source of monopoly and not true benefit to the mother country.

Taxes upon luxuries fall chiefly on the rich, which is just.

The funding system is a burden on future generations.

In my later years, I reflect on the progress of economic thought with satisfaction.

The study of political economy has enlightened many on the true path to prosperity.

One cannot separate the effects of taxation from the general laws of value.

The equilibrium of profits across sectors is a fundamental law.

As society advances, the share of rent increases at the expense of profits.