Turgot's best known work, Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth, was written early in the period of his intendancy, ostensibly for the benefit of two young Chinese students. In the Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth, Turgot traces the development of society from its beginning to a modern commercial society, the distribution of wealth and taxation which leaves the individual and the mechanism of capitalism free of state control.

《关于财富形成和分配的思考》被视为《国富论》的先驱，为英国古典政治经济学的完整理论体系和工业革命的开始奠定了基础。