Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this – no dog exchanges bones with another.
No human wisdom or knowledge could ever be sufficient [for] the duty of superintending the industry of private people towards the employment most suitable to the interest of the society.
The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations.
What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?
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.
Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.
After all the proper subjects of taxation have been exhausted, if the exigencies of the state still continue to require new taxes, they must be imposed upon improper ones.
[On learning negotiation skills from his mother] People would roll their eyes when my mother walked into the store. She was a nightmare in that regard.
