John Stuart Mill, "On the Definition of Political Economy, and on the Method of Investigation Proper to It," London and Westminster Review, October 1836.

Political economy ... does not treat the whole of man’s nature as modified by the social state, nor of the whole conduct of man in society. It is concerned with him solely as a being who desires to possess wealth, and who is capable of judging the comparative efficacy of means for obtaining that end.

— John Stuart Mill on Homo economicus

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Political economy ... does not treat the whole of man’s nature as modified by the social state, nor of the whole conduct of man in society. It is concerned with him solely as a being who desires to possess wealth, and who is capable of judging the comparative efficacy of means for obtaining that end." in the context of "John Stuart Mill, "On the Definition of Political Economy, and on the Method of Investigation Proper to It," London and Westminster Review, October 1836." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Homo economicus" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Stuart Mill

About John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), also known as J. S. Mill, was an English political philosopher and economist who was an advocate of utilitarianism.