# Quote — Robert L. Heilbroner, The Worldly Philosophers

> It may strike us as odd that the idea of gain is a relatively modern one; we are schooled to believe that man is essentially an acquisitive creature and that left to himself he will behave as any self-respecting businessman would. The profit motive, we are constantly being told, is as old as man himself.
>
> Nothing could be further from the truth.

- Author: [Robert L. Heilbroner](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-l-heilbroner.md)
- Book: [The Worldly Philosophers](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-l-heilbroner/the-worldly-philosophers.md)
- Page: 15
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Heilbroner#The_Worldly_Philosophers_(1953)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Topics: [history](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/history.md), [greed](https://www.leafyquotes.com/topics/greed.md)
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-l-heilbroner/the-worldly-philosophers/it-may-strike
- JSON version (same data): https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-l-heilbroner/the-worldly-philosophers/it-may-strike.json