The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit. In the great chess board of human society, every single piece has a principle of motion of its own altogether different from that which the legislature might choose to impress upon it

Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this - no dog exchanges bones with another.

The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities.

People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.

It seldom happens, however, that a great proprietor is a great improver.

On the road from the City of Skepticism, I had to pass through the Valley of Ambiguity.

Both ground- rents and the ordinary rent of land are a species of revenue which the owner, in many cases, enjoys without any care or attention of his own. The annual produce of the land and labour of the society, the real wealth and revenue of the great body of the people, might be the same after such a tax as before. Ground-rents, and the ordinary rent of land are, therefore, perhaps the species of revenue which can best bear to have a peculiar tax imposed upon them.