David Ricardo

"Capital and labour are not natural enemies, but interdependent agents of production."

"The security of property rights is essential to economic progress."

"Monopolies are injurious to the public interest and distort the natural laws of commerce."

"The quantity of labour cannot be altered by the quantity of circulating medium."

"Taxation, if excessive, destroys the incentive to industry and accumulation."

"The real wages of the working classes cannot be permanently raised by legislative decree."

"Colonial possessions do not necessarily add to a nation's wealth or power."

"The equilibrium of prices reflects the equilibrium of supply and demand."

"Machinery increases wealth for the employer but may decrease employment for labourers."

"The principle of utility is the foundation of moral and political economy."

"Every individual is the best judge of his own interests and should be free to pursue them."

"The fertility of land varies, and this variation is the source of economic rent."

"Accumulation of capital is checked by the difficulty of finding profitable investments."

"The rate of profit depends on the rate of wages and the productivity of labour."

"Commercial intercourse between nations promotes both wealth and peace."

"The labour theory of value explains the relative, not absolute, prices of commodities."

"Improvements in agriculture free labour for other productive pursuits."

"The expansion of commerce is limited only by the extent of the market."

"Cost of production, not utility alone, determines exchange value."

"The existence of money does not alter the fundamental laws of commerce."

"Nations should specialize in what they can produce most efficiently."

"The circulation of money affects prices but not the intrinsic value of goods."

"Landlords benefit most from improvements in society, while capitalists bear the burden."

"The rate of profit falls as population increases and wages rise."

"Every tax imposed is a tax on the productive classes of society."

"The natural state of commerce is freedom; all restrictions are artificial impediments."

"The productive powers of labour grow with the accumulation of capital."

"No nation can maintain a permanent trade surplus; equilibrium will eventually occur."

"The pursuit of individual interest, guided by competition, serves the public good."

"Hoarding money reduces its circulation and diminishes its utility."