: “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...We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages” (Smith, 1776). This statement highlights that economic exchanges are driven by self-interest, with each party seeking to maximize their respective benefits. Sellers produce goods not primarily out of goodwill but because it serves their interests, and buyers purchase goods because it benefits them. This mutual pursuit of self-interest underpins the functioning of market economies.
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