David Ricardo

"The standard of living of the working classes depends primarily on the demand for labour."

"Saving and prudence are virtues that strengthen both the individual and the nation."

"The power of capital to improve and develop land is nearly limitless."

"Demand for labour is proportional to the accumulation of capital."

"The fixed capital employed in production is as important as circulating capital."

"Profits are the engine of economic progress and cannot be excessively taxed without harm."

"The principle of self-interest, when regulated by law, produces social harmony."

"Scarcity, not absolute quantity, determines the value of commodities."

"The labouring classes will always exist so long as capital and land are unequally distributed."

"Commerce knows no national boundaries and should be as free as the air."

"The quantity of labour required to produce a commodity is its natural measure of value."

"Improvements in transportation reduce the cost of distribution and increase trade."

"The accumulation of capital by the wealthy is necessary for the employment of the poor."

"Natural prices are the central prices around which market prices fluctuate."

"The more land is brought into cultivation, the more rent tends to increase."

"Capital cannot be suddenly transferred from one employment to another without loss."

"The wages of labour have a tendency to adjust themselves to the cost of subsistence."

"Abundance of capital makes labour productive; scarcity of capital makes it unproductive."

"The distribution of wealth depends on the laws of property and inheritance."

"Depreciation of currency increases prices without increasing real wealth."

"The interests of the merchant and the manufacturer are not always aligned."

"Every economy that has reached a certain stage of development will experience declining profits."

"The surplus produced by labour constitutes the source of rent and profit."

"Labor-saving machinery is a natural development in the progress of civilization."

"The study of political economy provides essential guidance for statesmen."

"Natural inequalities in talent and industry are not unjust but inevitable."

"The extent of the market is the primary determinant of the degree of specialization."

"Money is merely a medium of exchange; real wealth consists of goods and services."

"The productivity of capital is enhanced by the division of labour and machinery."

"Prices serve as signals that guide the allocation of resources in an economy."