#capitalism

The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life, seems to arise from over-rating the difference between one permanent situation and another. Avarice over-rates the difference between poverty and riches: ambition, that between a private and a public station: vain-glory, that between obscurity and extensive reputation. The person under the influence of any of those extravagant passions, is not only miserable in his actual situation, but is often disposed to disturb the peace of society, in order to arrive at that which he so foolishly admires. The slightest observation, however, might satisfy him, that, in all the ordinary situations of human life, a well-disposed mind may be equally calm, equally cheerful, and equally contented. Some of those situations may, no doubt, deserve to be preferred to others: but none of them can deserve to be pursued with that passionate ardour which drives us to violate the rules either of prudence or of justice; or to corrupt the future tranquillity of our minds, either by shame from the remembrance of our own folly, or by remorse from the horror of our own injustice. ↗

— Adam Smith

#ethics #happiness #equality

Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both. ↗

— Martin Luther King Jr.

#economic-justice #racism #social-justice #socialism #truth

It is not what you can do for your country, but what you can do for all of mankind. ↗

— Mike Norton

#buddha #buddha-nature #buddhism #capitalism #communism

One might have thought that the most significant change in the film industry that would come about with a transition from the communist economy to capitalism would fundamentally concern the sources of funding. ↗

— Andrzej Wajda

#capitalism #change #come #communist #concern

For now, capitalism is working to produce more money but does not see the people. This problem is getting worse across the world. ↗

— Lech Walesa

#capitalism #does #getting #money #more

The market came with the dawn of civilization and it is not an invention of capitalism. If it leads to improving the well-being of the people there is no contradiction with socialism. ↗

— Mikhail Gorbachev

#capitalism #civilization #contradiction #dawn #improving

The market is not an invention of capitalism. It has existed for centuries. It is an invention of civilization. ↗

— Mikhail Gorbachev

#centuries #civilization #existed #invention #market

Everything that everyone is afraid of has already happened: The fragility of capitalism, which we don't want to admit; the loss of the empire of the United States; and American exceptionalism. In fact, American exceptionalism is that we are exceptionally backward in about fifteen different categories, from education to infrastructure. ↗

— James Hillman

#admit #afraid #already #american #backward

I'm afraid for all those who'll have the bread snatched from their mouths by these machines. What business has science and capitalism got, bringing all these new inventions into the works, before society has produced a generation educated up to using them! ↗

— Henrik Ibsen

#before #bread #bringing #business #capitalism