“To feel much for others and little for ourselves; to restrain our selfishness and exercise our benevolent affections, constitute the perfection of human nature.” 

Inspiring words. Ones you might expect from the Dalai Lama or some other spiritual luminary. 

But these words, words championing compassion and human well-being, were penned by none other than Adam Smith, the so-called “father of capitalism.” Yes, you read that right, the progenitor of what so many mistakenly see as a system of wealth creation, wrote these words touting benevolence as human perfection.

It would appear the “father” of our economic system assumed a moral and ethical foundation to the world of business. It would appear the “greed is good” sentiments of those who follow in the footsteps of Ayn Rand, Gordon Gecko, and innumerable others in the it’s-not-personal-it’s-just-business school of thought are not what Smith had in mind at all. 

So, if it’s not about wealth creation/selfish gain, what is it about?

Well, consider the virtues of creating value and bettering the human condition. Perhaps business—and maybe life in general—is more about feeling for others and restraining our selfish ambitions so that we can make the world a better place. 

Does that mean the money thing is out the window? No. Of course not. We need money to live and to allow the good work to continue; it’s just that there needs to be a moral foundation of compassion to keep the lustful hunger for financial gluttony in check.

As the apostle Paul tells us, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” It’s not the money that makes us ill; it’s the love of it. 

Money has done and continues to do much good, but it has done and does much evil as well. And while those two extremes are ever-present with money—a human construct—I’ve never seen evidence of evil coming out of compassion and benevolence—creations of a more divine nature. 

Perhaps it’s time to consider Smith’s words as an antidote to our heartsick world. Perhaps it’s time to “exercise our benevolent affections” and seek his ideal of human perfection, a perfection based not on what we gain but on what we contribute.

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