# revenue

**Definition**  
Revenue is the total inflow of economic value received by an individual, firm, or institution from its productive activities. It can originate from labour (wages), capital (profit), land (rent), or financial assets (interest).

**Source Chapter**  
*The Wealth of Nations*, Book 1, Chapter 6.

**Context**  
Smith discusses revenue toward the end of the chapter, stating that “All other revenue is ultimately derived from some one or other of those three original sources of revenue.” He categorizes revenue into wages, profit, and rent.

**Economic Domain**  
General Theory

**Smith’s Original Wording**  
> “All other revenue is ultimately derived from some one or other of those three original sources of revenue, and are paid either immediately or mediately from the wages of labour, the profits of stock, or the rent of land.”

**Modern Interpretation**  
Revenue is a core accounting term representing total income before expenses. In macroeconomics, it aligns with factor income distribution and the national accounts’ measurement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) components.