Adam Smith's image of competition in the marketplace was intended as an adjunct to his detailed description of human motivation in The Theory of Moral Sentiments , in which the pursuit of profit is tempered at every juncture by sympathy and benevolence, and by the posture of the "impartial spectator" which is forced on us by our moral nature.

Three cardinal virtues of business: creativity, building community, practical realism.

The laws of economic life are subject to the eternal laws of spiritual capital.

Profitability is the consequence of doing business in the right way, to honor God.

The free economy is not the enemy but the friend of social capital.

The moral sentiments that constrain economic life also promote it.

Long-term success depends upon trust.