Look around, and you see everywhere the exertions and acts of individuals restricted, regulated, or promoted, on the principle of the common welfare.
Friedrich ListRead
An individual, in promoting his own interest, may injure the public interest; a nation, in promoting the general welfare, may check the interest of a part of its members.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the conflict between individual interests and the collective good, suggesting that actions for personal gain can harm society, while national actions for overall welfare may hinder specific individuals.
Friedrich List's quote explores the tension between personal ambitions and societal needs. It emphasizes that individuals often pursue their own interests, which can sometimes be detrimental to the larger community. Conversely, a nation's efforts to promote the greater good may inadvertently suppress the interests of certain individuals or groups within it. This reflects the complex dynamics of balancing personal rights and social responsibilities.
Themes
InterestPublicWelfareBalanceSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of government in economic policies.
More from Friedrich List
All quotes →It is bad policy to regulate everything... where things may better regulate themselves and can be better promoted by private exertions; but it is no less bad policy to let those things alone which can only be promoted by interfering social power.
Friedrich ListRead
Industry entirely left to itself, would soon fall to ruin, and a nation letting everything alone would commit suicide.
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