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.
Adam SmithRead
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.
Interpretation
Resentment serves as a natural defense mechanism that protects justice and preserves innocence.
In this quote, Adam Smith suggests that resentment is not merely a negative emotion but a fundamental aspect of human nature that arises as a protective measure. It acts as a safeguard for justice, helping individuals and societies to maintain moral standards and ensure that wrongdoings are addressed, thus preserving the integrity of innocence.
In practice
This quote would be perfect for a discussion in a philosophy class about the role of emotions in moral reasoning.
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.
Wherever there is great property, there is great inequality.
This is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.
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.
Defense is superior to opulence.
I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.
Is there not in every human soul a primitive spark, a divine element, incorruptible in this world and immortal in the next, which can be developed by goodness, kindled, lit up, and made to radiate, and which evil can never entirely extinguish.
Religion is never going to go away, and anyone who thinks it will doesn't understand what religion is. It is a language to describe the experience of human nature, so for as long as people struggle to describe what it means to be alive, it will be a ready-made language to express those feelings.
If the greatest god is the stillness all the motions add up to, then we must ineluctably be included.
The rash assertion that "God made man in His own image" is ticking like a time bomb at the foundation of many faiths.
Socrates told us, "the unexamined life is not worth living." I think he's calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge.
Man makes holy what he believes as he makes beautiful what he loves.
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