Resentment seems to have been given us by nature for a defense, and for a defense only! It is the safeguard of justice and the security of innocence.
Adam SmithRead
The cheapness of wine seems to be a cause, not of drunkenness, but of sobriety. ...People are seldom guilty of excess in what is their daily fare... On the contrary, in the countries which, either from excessive heat or cold, produce no grapes, and where wine consequently is dear and a rarity, drunkenness is a common vice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The availability and affordability of wine can lead to moderation rather than excess, as scarcity drives indulgence.
In this quote, Adam Smith suggests that when wine is cheap and easily accessible, it does not lead to excessive drinking. Instead, people tend to consume it in moderation as part of their daily life. Conversely, in regions where wine is expensive and rare, indulgence in alcohol becomes more common, illustrating how supply and social customs influence behavior surrounding consumption.
Themes
WineSobrietyDrunkennessModerationExcessBehavior
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the impact of alcohol consumption in different cultures.
More from Adam Smith
All quotes βIt 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.
Adam SmithRead
Wherever there is great property, there is great inequality.
Adam SmithRead
This is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.
Adam SmithRead
The real and effectual discipline which is exercised over a workman is that of his customers. It is the fear of losing their employment which restrains his frauds and corrects his negligence.
Adam SmithRead
Defense is superior to opulence.
Adam SmithRead
Similar quotes
You cannot tackle hunger, disease, and poverty unless you can also provide people with a healthy ecosystem in which their economies can grow.
Gro Harlem BrundtlandRead
Every country has a founding mythology. For Americans, it starts with our first president's youthful encounter with a cherry tree and refusal to tell a lie. Mr. Trump would do well to find inspiration in that story, which goes to the heart of what makes America different - and our foreign policy effective - around the world.
Antony BlinkenRead
And I or you pocketless of a dime, may purchase the pick of the earth.
Walt WhitmanRead
For he who has died has been freed from sin...14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Paul The ApostleRead
The commandment to refrain from placing blame on our parents, deeply imprinted in us by our upbringing, skillfully performs the function of hiding essential truths from us.
Alice MillerRead
Freedom is messy. In free societies, people will fall through the cracks - drink too much, eat too much, buy unaffordable homes, fail to make prudent provision for health care, and much else. But the price of being relieved of all those tiresome choices by a benign paternal government is far too high. Big Government is the small option: it's the guarantee of smaller freedom, smaller homes, smaller cars, smaller opportunities, smaller lives.
Mark SteynRead