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Michael Perlman, 
 
I am not sure if this would help. I happened to mention Adam Smith on the American
Revolution at the beginning of a paper of mine to motivate the reader about human motives,
viz., self-interest as opposed to self-pride. Here is the paragraph from my paper, which
includes the reference to what I think is the context of Smith's remark in the letter you
mentioned.
 
"When economists discuss motivation, they usually use the famous quote from Adam Smith's
Wealth of Nations on how self-interest, not altruism, is the basis of trade:  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 (Smith 1976b, pp. 26-27). But throughout The
Wealth of Nations, it is pride, not altruism, that acts as the antithesis of self-
interest. Smith, e.g., argues that Great Britain did not relinquish its dominion over the
American colonies because such sacrifices, though they might frequently be agreeable to
the interest, are always mortifying to the pride of every nation (Smith 1976b, p. 617,
also pp. 946-947)."
 
 
Elias L. Khalil 
 
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