Business Quote by Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth
““Businesses are uniquely capable of creating social value and solving social problems - they have this wonderful fuel called the profit motive.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Business Conference, Mayflower-Plymouth, 2020
Profit motive can drive companies to address social issues and create value.
In simple terms: Profit can inspire social good.
Key Takeaway
Leverage profit for social impact.
Themes
business
social responsibility
profit
Mood
optimistic
critical
Type
motivational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Corporate strategy
- social ventures
- CSR initiatives
Key Concepts
Capitalism
social entrepreneurship
value creation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can profit align with social goals?
- What safeguards prevent profit‑driven exploitation?
A Different Perspective
Profit may conflict with altruism.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
