It is not for its own sake that men desire money, but for the sake of what they can purchase with it. The Wealth of Nations (1776)
The value of money is in proportion to the quantity of the necessaries of life which it will purchase. The Wealth of Nations (1776)
Goods can serve many other purposes besides purchasing money, but money can serve no other purpose besides purchasing goods. The Wealth of Nations (1776)
There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people. The Wealth of Nations (1776)