Jean-Baptiste Say (1767 – 1832)
French economist and businessman.
With respect to the present time, there are few persons who unite the qualifications of good observers with a situation favourable for accurate observation.
A shop-keeper in good business is quite as well off as a pedlar that travels the country with his wares on his back. Commercial jealousy is, after all, nothing but prejudice: it is a wild fruit, that will drop of itself when it has arrived at maturity.
The occupation of the stock-jobber yields no new or useful product; consequently having no product of his own to give in exchange, he has no revenue to subsist upon, but what he contrives to make out of the unskilfulness or ill-fortune of gamesters like himself.
Capital in the hands of a national government forms a part of the gross national capital.
The day will come, sooner or later, when people will wonder at the necessity of taking all this trouble to expose the folly of a system, so childish and absurd, and yet so often enforced at the point of a bayonet.
An uniformity of weights and measures, arranged upon mathematical principles, would be a benefit to the whole commercial world, if it were wise enough to adopt such an expedient.
Nothing can be more idle than the opposition of theory to practice!
Freedoms and apprenticeships are likewise expedients of police,not of that wholesome branch of police, whose object is the maintenance of the public and private security, and which is neither costly nor vexatious; but of that sort of police which bad governments employ to preserve or extend their personal authority at any expense.
What can we expect from nations still less advanced in civilization than the Greeks?
The quantity of money, which is readily parted with to obtain a thing is called its price.
The theory of interest was wrapped in utter obscurity, until Hume and Smith dispelled the vapor.
I have made no distinction between the circulation of goods and of money, because there really is none.
The wealthy are generally impressed with an idea, that they shall never stand in need of public charitable relief; but a little less confidence would become them better.
The love of domination never attains more than a factitious elevation, that is sure to make enemies of all its neighbours.
When a tree, a natural product, is felled, is society put into possession of no greater produce than that of the mere labour of the woodman?
What would people think of a tradesman, that was to give a ball in his shop, hire performers, and hand refreshments about, with a view to benefit his business?
A nation or an individual, will do wisely to direct consumption chiefly to those articles, that are longest time in wearing out, and the most frequently in use.
A tax can never be favorable to the public welfare, except by the good use that is made of its proceeds.
All travellers agree that protestant are both richer and more populous than catholic countries;and the reason is, because the habits of the former are more conducive to production.
The sea and wind can at the same time convey my neighbour's vessel and my own.