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… is from page 242 of the late, great UCLA economists Armen A. Alchian [2]’s and William R. Allen’s Universal Economics [3] (2018; Jerry L. Jordan, ed.); this volume is an updated version of Alchian’s and Allen’s magnificent and pioneering earlier textbook, University Economics:
Achieving profits is a condition of survival. Consumers leave no alternative for producers. If the products don’t satisfy consumers, producers won’t cover costs and won’t survive. The drive for profits is compelled by consumer preferences for better or more economically produced goods. Over time, competition displaces less satisfactorily performing producers – those who don’t earn profits.