"The real and effectual discipline which is exercised over a workman is that of his customers. It is the fear of losing their custom which hinders him from either frequently or greatly relaxing his app…"

"The rich man glories in his riches, because he feels that they naturally draw upon him the attention of the world."

"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…"

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

"Where there is a great deal of property, there is great inequality. For one very rich man, there must be at least five hundred poor, and the affluence of the few supposes the indigence of the many."