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.
Any effort to make the death penalty speedier and less costly - more 'efficient' - will inevitably make it less just.
Does he think to scare me? Arya kissed him where his nose should be and plucked the grave worm from his eye to eat it, but it melted like a shadow in her hand. The yellow skull was melting too, and the kindliest old man that she had ever seen was smiling down on her. "No one has ever tried to eat my worm before," he said. "Are you hungry, child?" Yes, she thought, but not for food.
We need to defend the interests of those whom we've never met and never will.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes.
It is seldom, that liberty of any kind is lost all at once. Slavery has so frightful an aspect to men accustomed to freedom, that it must steal upon them by degrees, and must disguise itself in a thousand shapes, in order to be received.
The deepest hunger in life is a secret that is revealed only when a person is willing to unlock a hidden part of the self. In the ancient traditions of wisdom, this quest has been likened to diving for the most precious pearl in existence, a poetic way of saying that you have to swim far out beyond shallow waters, plunge deep into yourself, and search patiently until the pearl beyond price is found.
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