David Ricardo

"The real price of everything does not vary with the quantity of money which purchases it, but with the quantity of labour which produces it."

"The most important of all duties in a political economist is to investigate and explain the true principles of the distribution of wealth."

"Trade is mutually beneficial when each party has a comparative advantage in the production of goods."

"The removal of restrictions on commerce is the best policy for the prosperity of nations."

"It is the power of accumulating capital that is the basis of prosperity."

"Profits are the source of capital accumulation, and capital accumulation is the source of increased production."

"An economy grows when investment in productive capacity increases."

"The growth of the population is limited by the means of subsistence."

"Rent is the difference between the produce obtained by the employment of two equal quantities of capital and labour."

"The tax on raw produce is for the most part paid by the consumer."

"The natural effect of improvement is to lower the real price of commodities."

"Capital once accumulated by one generation may be enjoyed by another."

"The wealth of a nation lies not in the abundance of money, but in the abundance of labour and capital."

"Political economy is the science which investigates the nature and causes of wealth."

"To be able to accumulate capital requires discipline and foresight."

"The division of labour is limited by the extent of the market."

"Every improvement in the productive powers of labour tends to raise real wages."

"The land's fertility determines the limits of cultivation and subsistence."

"Agricultural improvements lead to increased productivity and lower costs."

"The price of labour may be expressed in money or in commodities."

"Scarcity gives value to commodities, not their utility alone."

"A nation cannot sustain a large population without adequate productive capacity."

"The principle of comparative advantage explains why trade benefits all parties."

"Capital is that part of the wealth of a country which is employed in production."

"Machinery may be introduced even when labour is abundant and cheap."

"The introduction of machinery temporarily displaces workers but increases overall production."

"Value in exchange depends upon comparative scarcity and labour."

"To understand the distribution of wealth is to understand the foundations of society."

"The landlord benefits from scarcity while the community suffers from it."

"An increase in the supply of precious metals leads to inflation."