The Wealth of Nations Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Marriage is encouraged in China, not by the profitableness of children, but by the liberty of destroying them. (1.8.24)

Adam Smith shows some of his cultural bias when he talks about how people in China have kids just to kill them. It's unclear what his source is for this information, which leads us to think that he's probably just drawing on cultural stereotypes.

Quote #5

It might then not be worth any man's while to educate his son to either of those professions at his own expence. (1.10.91)

There are some jobs that just don't pay well enough for fathers to spend their money on. Smith believes that these fathers should just put their sons into jobs that'll make money. Clearly he's not a fan of the whole "Do what you love" mentality.

Quote #6

As a military officer submits without reluctance to the authority of a superior by whom he has always been commanded, but cannot bear that his inferior should be set over his head; so men easily submit to a family to whom they and their ancestors have always submitted. (5.1.40)

It's likely that a family will happily acknowledge the superiority of another family if that family has been elite for centuries. But if someone wins the lotto and starts acting all uppity, it's a lot harder to accept the idea that they are above you in society.