Investing · Western classics
Adam Smith：The Butcher, the Brewer, and the Baker
Adam Smith《The Wealth of Nations》· Book I, Chapter II · Wealth · Human nature · Decision · Philosophy
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.
Source：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3300
Locator：Book I, Chapter II · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Public-domain translation
Reading
Exchange works through mutual self-interest, not benevolence.
Context
Wealth of Nations, Book I, chapter II. Smith is not denying goodwill; he is saying that stable exchange rests on aligned incentives, not moral appeals.
Today's question
In the help you are asking for, where is the other person's self-interest?
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