“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, but from their regard to their own interest.” This quote speaks to everyone participating in society. Generally speaking, charity, while a virtuous act, cannot provide a living alone. A baker produces bread to sell to consumers to produce an income. He does not simply give out the bread at no cost for his own benevolence, he does it to make a living. He unknowingly helps society, but to do so in a competitive market he must create a product others value enough to purchase over other competitors. It is a continuous cycle of selfishness, but that is the way of society, trying to strive to become better than others to sell more product than them and create a larger income
