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The greatest improvement in the productive powers of labour, and the greatest part of skill, dexterity, and judgment with which it is any where directed, or applied, seem to have been the effects of the division of labour.

— Adam Smith The Wealth of Nations (1776)

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More quotes by Adam Smith

Nothing but the most exemplary morals can give dignity to a man of small fortune.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

A merchant, it has been said very properly, is not necessarily the citizen of any particular country.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

No fixed capital can yield any revenue but by means of a circulating capital.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

In the long-run the workman may be as necessary to his master as his master is to him, but the necessity is not so immediate.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

Hatred and anger are the greatest poison to the happiness of a good mind.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

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All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

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In a society such as ours, it is almost impossible for a person to be responsible.

Jacques Ellul The Betrayal by Technology (1993)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Adam Smith (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.