Quote of the Day by Adam Smith: This is one of the most powerful openings in the history of economics and philosophy. It perfectly highlights a side of Adam Smith that people often forget. While everyone remembers him for the "invisible hand" and self-interest in The Wealth of Nations, this quote from The Theory of Moral Sentiments reminds us that he didn't view humans as purely cold, calculating machines. To Smith, our natural capacity for sympathy and mutual empathy is the foundational bedrock that allows a functioning society—and a stable economy—to exist in the first place.