![]() The expence of the ordinary peace establishment of the colonies amounted, before the commencement of the present disturbances, to the pay of twenty regiments of foot to the expence of the artillery, stores, and extraordinary provisions with which it was necessary to supply them and to the expence of a very considerable naval force which was constantly kept up, in order to guard, from the smuggling vessels of other nations, the immense coast of North America, and that of our West Indian islands. Whatever expence Great Britain has hitherto laid out in maintaining this dependency has really been laid out in order to support this monopoly. The monopoly is the principal badge of their dependency, and it is the sole fruit which has hitherto been gathered from that dependency. In the exclusive trade, it is supposed, consists the great advantage of provinces, which have never yet afforded either revenue or military force for the support of the civil government, or the defence of the mother country. The maintenance of this monopoly has hitherto been the principal, or more properly perhaps the sole end and purpose of the dominion which Great Britain assumes over her colonies. Smith’s early cost/benefit analysis of empire: It reads as if it could have been written last week. The second sentence in the quote above is one of my all-time favorite pithy Smith statements. Say to a shopkeeper, Buy me a good estate, and I shall always buy my clothes at your shop, even though I should pay somewhat dearer than what I can have them for at other shops and you will not find him very forward to embrace your proposal. ![]() Such statesmen, and such statesmen only, are capable of fancying that they will find some advantage in employing the blood and treasure of their fellow-citizens to found and maintain such an empire. It is, however, a project altogether unfit for a nation of shopkeepers but extremely fit for a nation whose government is influenced by shopkeepers. To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers may at first sight appear a project fit only for a nation of shopkeepers. ![]() We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages. ![]() 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. Give me that which I want, and you shall have this which you want, is the meaning of every such offer and it is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of those good offices which we stand in need of. Whoever offers to another a bargain of any kind, proposes to do this. He will be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-love in his favour, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them. But man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. In almost every other race of animals each individual, when it is grown up to maturity, is entirely independent, and in its natural state has occasion for the assistance of no other living creature. In civilised society he stands at all times in need of the cooperation and assistance of great multitudes, while his whole life is scarce sufficient to gain the friendship of a few persons. He has not time, however, to do this upon every occasion. 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. A puppy fawns upon its dam, and a spaniel endeavours by a thousand attractions to engage the attention of its master who is at dinner, when it wants to be fed by him. 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. Nobody ever saw one animal by its gestures and natural cries signify to another, this is mine, that yours I am willing to give this for that. Among my favorites are the ones noted by Dan Hannan, Russ Roberts, and Don Boudreaux. To commemorate Smith’s birthday, Reason magazine asked various people to give their favorite quotes from Smith and comment on them. I’m not going to spend time figuring out which day because it doesn’t really matter. The great Adam Smith was born sometime in early June 1723.
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