Thomas Malthus

"Freedom is a kind of chaos, but it is a creative chaos."

"The constant effort of every man to better his condition is the foundation of public happiness."

"Checks to population are of two kinds – those which promote misery and those which promote moral restraint."

"The love of independence which every individual feels will prevent any political arrangement designed to annihilate it."

"The great test of ability is the successful application of resources to immediate and visible purposes."

"Man cannot be satisfied with a mere subsistence; he is impelled by his nature to seek for something more."

"In the present state of society, to obtain a livelihood requires some exertion."

"The progress of society is not uniform; there are periods of rapid advancement and of stagnation."

"Prudence in choosing a wife is superior to fortune in determining success in life."

"The principle that population tends to increase beyond the supply of food is the root of all misery."

"Knowledge is power, but the application of knowledge is success."

"The habit of associating with others improves every power and faculty of the human mind."

"There is something peculiarly fitted in the constitution of man to the state of celibacy."

"All systems of improvement which propose to remedy this evil by violent methods will ultimately fail."

"The earth will always be fully peopled in proportion to the means of subsistence."

"To live is to struggle against limits and to find meaning in that struggle."

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

"Benevolence can have no place in systems of economics unless it is founded on justice."

"Each man naturally loves his own family and his own country best."

"The improvement of the lower classes is impossible without a change in their moral character."

"In the midst of universal plenty, poverty would cease to exist."

"The natural indolence of man is such that he will not exert himself unless stimulated by want."

"The true source of wealth is the productive power of human labour."

"Custom and habit are the greatest shapers of human behaviour."

"The principle of population is as inexorable as any law of nature."

"To improve the condition of man is the greatest of all enterprises."

"Reason itself will never convince the human heart of what it does not wish to believe."

"The happiness of individuals is determined more by their internal dispositions than by external circumstances."

"The improvement of education is one of the most effective means of removing the evils of poverty."

"Man in the state of nature would be happier if he were not capable of improving his condition."