the result of human action, but not of human design. These things are created by the actions of many people, but no person plans or intends the outcome. Smith

we want people to like us, respect us, and care about us. We want to be appreciated, desired, praised, and cherished. We want people to pay attention to us and take us seriously. We want them to want our presence, to enjoy our company.

classical liberal, meaning a liberal in the original use of the word—someone who valued liberty and favored limited government.

Smith believes that our desire for approval from those around us is embedded within us, and that our moral sense comes from experiencing approval and disapproval from others. As we experience those responses, we come to imagine an impartial spectator judging us.

is so much easier to live in a world where we can trust without having to spend too much time, money, and energy verifying the trust we place in others.

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.

Yes, you are profoundly self-interested. But for some reason, you do not always act in what appears to be your self-interest.

Those general rules can mute our self-interested passions and give our conscience a fighting chance against our self-love. We see people choosing a path of behavior, and we notice how that behavior is judged by others. If it is judged negatively, that encourages us to avoid it. If it is judged positively, we are encouraged to engage in that action

Smith uses the word loved to encompass not just romantic love. When he says we want to be loved, he means paid attention to, liked, respected, honored. We want to matter. We want people to notice us, to think highly of us.