Adam Smith Quotes

Look out for Number One. If you don't, no one else will.

Everyone has to kind of fend for themselves.

A man's neighbors or his landlord may be much cleverer than himself, and not without an indirect interest in his prosperity, but for all that his interests will be better attended to in his own keeping than in theirs.

There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first.

In an ideal world, Adam Smith-like, individuals would recognize what they need to do in their own self-interest, and they will make changes happen and look after themselves.

Somebody says, 'Well, I can't be concerned about other people. About the best I can do is to take care of myself' Well, then you will always be poor.

We must be for ourselves in the long run; the mild and generous are only more justly selfish than the domineering.

Don't let nobody take care of your business better than you.

The divine is God's concern; the human, man's. My concern is neither the divine nor the human, not the true, good, just, free, etc., but solely what is 'mine,' and it is not a general one, but is - 'unique,' as I am unique. Nothing is more to me than myself!

Never count on the crowd to take care of you.

Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent.

When you don't have anybody to take care of you, then you could go both ways: You could do whatever you want, or you could take charge and be your own parent.

You have to be concerned with yourself because if you're not on it all the time, nobody else is going to be.

Let me just worry about me. I'm not worried about anyone else. If you're doing fine, great; if you're struggling, I hope things get better for you. But I've got to be worried about my career.

I am responsible for no one but myself.

I have found there is no difficulty in inducing men to look after their own property.

Politically, economically and philosophically the motive of self-interest not only is but must...and ought to be the mainspring of human conduct...

I've taken care of myself all my life.

Perhaps the majority of human beings never think of standing by themselves, and choosing their own employments, till the sentence has been regularly promulgated to them, 'It is time for you to take care of yourself.'

Every one of us in this country is based on you've gotta take care of yourself.

You should know how to take care of yourself. That's one of the things that I got from my mother most - she always said that if you don't take care of yourself, no one will.

I don't fight for anybody else besides myself and my family, so therefore I win.

I know enough about the business to look after myself now. I don't trust anyone else to take care of business.

I've always been very independent; I take care of myself.

Out here a man settles his own problems.