Help me to place an Adam Smith quote:

[FredLC]

Hello there, fellow fanatics.

I am writing a little work for my post-graduation essay, and in a certain place, there is a quote from Adam Smith that I got from the internet that is quite handy at making a certain point I intend to. The quote I am referring to is:

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 self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own neccessities but of their advantages

I'd like to know if any of the economists, or any of the guys who have an interest in economy, can pinpoint in which of his books he wrote that.

If possible, I'd also like it to be as specific as possible. I mean, book, chapter, which year, page, every piece of information avaiable. As there are a few economists here, I am truly hoping someone will be able to do it...

Jack Merchant, ball is in your court now.

Thanks in advance everyone for all the help eventually given.

Regards .

 

[Paalikles]

IIRC - Wealth of Nations, in 1776 or something - going to check, and then edit if I am mistaken

It is from his explaination of the "invisible hands", aproximately on page 456 (note that I do not have the book in my library at the moment - I just try to recall from memory)

*Paalikles waits for Jack Merchant to come over to correct him, yet again )

Edit: Note that Wealth of Nations is short for the long title presented in the next post by Jack Merchant....

 

[jack merchant]

The full text of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations is available here. Searchable too ! The exact quote is in Book I, chapter 2, paragraph 2. Wealth of Nations was first published in 1776.

(and when did I last correct you, Paalikles ? )

 

[FredLC]

Wow, That's great. I have a copy of Wealthy of the Nations in Portuguese, now I can find it in my book.

Thanks a lot, Jack, this was a world of help.

Regards .

 

[jack merchant]

You're welcome . It's not the most accessible book for us non-native English speakers, is it ?

 

[FredLC]

It certainly isn't...

 

[Dr. Dr. Doktor]

"When an animal wants to obtain something either of a man or of another animal, it has no other means of persuasion but to gain the favour of those whose service it requires. (...) Man sometimes uses the same arts with his brethren, and when he has no other means of engaging them to act according to his inclinations, endeavours by every servile and fawning attention to obtain their good will."

Adam Smith.

I am amused by how Adam Smith often compares humans with dogs. He is just such a humane man! A shame the church did not ban this book.

 

[jack merchant]

Parables & fables involving animals have a long and venerable history, my dear triple Doctor. The Inquisition would have had to work overtime !

 

[Dr. Dr. Doktor]

Originally posted by jack merchant
Parables & fables involving animals have a long and venerable history, my dear triple Doctor. The Inquisition would have had to work overtime !

Yes. Forgive me the anachronism, but Tomás de Torquemada, The Grand Inquisitor of Castile, would have made short work of this infidel. :devil2:

 

[jack merchant]

Which wwould have been a sad loss for the world; economic liberalism as we know it would never have come off the ground !

 

[onejayhawk]

Originally posted by jack merchant
It's not the most accessible book for us non-native English speakers, is it ?

It's not the most accessable book for native speakers either. In fact, its not an accessable book. That does not mean that he was wrong, just that his prose could be better.

J

 

[Pangur Bán]

He was a man of his times. If you think Smith is bad, then read another Scottish philospher, Hume. And, if you think they are bad, try reading Hegel in German! Bad prose didn't come into; just style!