If a man were living in isolation his income would be literally his p… — John Bates Clark

If a man were living in isolation his income would be literally his product. Make him the monarch and owner of an island, and the fruits that he raises and the clothing that he makes constitute, in themselves, his income. This ceases to be true when trading begins.

John Bates ClarkEconomist · American · 1847 – 1938

More from John Bates Clark

The most happy man is he who knows how to bring into relation the end and beginning of his life. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living? — Mohandas Gandhi
The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. — Mark Twain
Experience alone can give a final answer. The knowledge gained in a few years by a commission of the kind suggested would be worth more than volumes of mere assertions and contradictions. — John Bates Clark
When we say that the persistence of competition is ensured by fate, we mean that individual freedom is so guaranteed. The one thing to which fate binds us is liberty. — John Bates Clark
If the adjustment made by a court can be accepted or not, it will be refused whenever the men can gain more by continuing the strike, with whatever of violence that involves. — John Bates Clark