Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves. — Stephen Kendrick
Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our good qualities, and to overlook or extenuate our defects. — William Wilberforce
It often turns out on closer inspection that acts of apparent altruism are really selfishness in disguise. — Richard Dawkins
Intensely selfish people are always very decided as to what they wish. They do not waste their energies in considering the good of others. — Ouida
Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles. — Harry S. Truman
A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's. — Richard Whately
Selfishness is never so exquisitely selfish as when it is on its knees. ... Self turns what would otherwise be a pure and powerful prayer into a weak and ineffective one. — Aiden Wilson Tozer
No universal selfishness can bring social good to all. — W. E. B. Du Bois
There are many selfish people who are extremely original, then they take those pure ideas and use them to raise themselves up, that is an insincere move. — Daniel Smith
It's motive alone which gives character to the actions of men. — Jean De La Bruyere
Personal greed and egoism are things that cause human beings to forget respect for others and to violate rules that have been established for the sake of peace and friendship. — Mas Oyama
Being selfish to me means that you have to look out for yourself and you don't have to sacrifice. — Herbie Mann
If your actions are motivated by selfish interests rather than God, you are mortgaging tomorrow's joy. — T. B. Joshua
You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.
What Is Selfish Quotes
If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own power. Your self-sufficiency, your selfishness and your intellectual pride will inhibit His coming to live in your heart because God cannot fill what is already full. It is as simple as that. — Mother Teresa
It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures. — Robert Greene
There is in even the most selfish passion a large element of self-abnegation. It is startling to realize that what we call extreme self-seeking is actually self-renunciation. The miser, health addict, glory chaser and their like are not far behind the selfless in the exercise of self-sacrifice. — Eric Hoffer
Be not afraid of going slowly, Be afraid of standing still.
Chaos is impatient. It's random. And above all it's selfish. It tears down everything just for the sake of change, feeding on itself in constant hunger. But Chaos can also be appealing. It tempts you to believe that nothing matters except what you want. — Rick Riordan
We look at death from the selfish side, like: "That guy died. Oh, it's so sad." Why is it sad? He's away from all of this bad stuff that's here on Earth. I mean, at the worst, he's just somewhere quiet, no nothing. At best, he's an angel... or he's a spirit somewhere. What is so bad about that? — Tupac Shakur
The common trait of all evil is nothing other than egoism... Basically all human evil comes from what we call the selfishness. — Rudolf Steiner
Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no mater how slow.
Every ignoramus imagines that all that exists, exists with a view to his individual sake; it is as if there were nothing that exists except him. And if something happens to him that is contrary to what he wishes, he makes the trenchant judgement that all that exists is an evil. — Maimonides
One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. — Shannon Alder
Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. — Marcus Aurelius
Leaders who forbid their followers to use effective contraceptive methods express a preference for "natural" methods of population limitation, and a natural method is exactly what they are going to get. It is called starvation. — Richard Dawkins
Selfish Reasons Quotes
The reason why wicked men and devils hate God is, because they see Him in relation to themselves. Their hearts rise up in rebellion, because they see Him opposed to their selfishness. — Charles Grandison Finney
If you practice Yoga for small, selfish reasons, you will remain the same, bound by your beliefs about what you can and cannot do. Let go and offer your effort to limitless potential. Dedicate yourself to the happiness of all beings. — Sharon Gannon
I became a lawyer for selfish reasons. I thought I could do a lawyer’s job better than any other. — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
There comes a point in your life when you need to stop reading other people's book and write your own.
In recent years, many seem to have spent their lives protesting. Perhaps they have felt to do this because they have felt repressed or wished to bring about change or have acted out of selfish reasons, thinking that if they tore the house down they might end up with a shingle. — James E. Faust
I considered becoming a priest very seriously. I wanted to travel the world. By the time I turned 16, I realized I was only in it for selfish reasons. And, more importantly, I didn't want to sacrifice the ladies! — James McAvoy
Why would the apostles lie?....Liars always lie for selfish reasons. If they lied, what was their motive, what did they get out of it? What they got out of it was misunderstanding, rejection, persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Hardly a list of perks! — Peter Kreeft
Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice.
Count your blessings for selfish reasons! Psychological studies show that people who are aware of their blessings and feel grateful for them live longer than non-grateful people, have fewer medical problems such as hypertension, earn more and achieve longer marriages. — Gregg Easterbrook
Only God can give us a selfless love for others, as the Holy Spirit changes us from within. This is one reason we must receive Christ, for apart from His Spirit we can never be freed from the chains of selfishness, jealousy, and indifference. Will others see Christ's love in your life today? — Billy Graham
life lived only for oneself does not truly satisfy men or women. There is a hunger in Americans today for larger purposes beyond the self. That is the reason for the religious revival and the new resonance of 'family. — Betty Friedan
Selfish Interest Quotes
Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance. — Theodore Roosevelt
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. — Thomas Sowell
Shortsighted things that people sometimes do for their individual self-interest don’t tend to work out well in the long run. — Edward O. Thorp
Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip top if you must, but take the step.
Even at a large corporation, you’re essentially the only person who looks out for your own best interests. — Paul Jarvis
When you are filled with the compassion of Jesus, other people’s interests will be paramount in your heart. — Enoch Adeboye
Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest. — Thomas Sowell
It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.
Any practice of business which would dominate the country by its own selfish interest is a destruction of equality of opportunity. Government in business, except in emergency, is also a destruction of equal opportunity and the incarnation of tyranny through bureaucracy. — Herbert Hoover
Selfish interest is one of the most common obstructions to the advance of truth. — William Jennings Bryan
People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good, for the public good, and bad government is when politicians lie for their own selfish interests. — James Bovard
How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it. — Adam Smith
Selfish Ambition Quotes
Boys, be ambitious. Be ambitious not for money, not for selfish aggrandizement, not for the evanescent thing which men call fame. Be ambitious for the attainment of all that a man can be. — William Clark
You can want to be a top dog and, at the same time, be driven to help others. — Angela Duckworth
The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspires men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
A little progress each day adds up to bg results.
We cannot free ourselves from pride and selfish ambition; a divine rescue is absolutely necessary. — C. J. Mahaney
Love makes money-grabbing seem contemptible; love makes class prejudice impossible; love makes selfish ambition a thing to be despised; love converts enemies into friends. — William Jennings Bryan
America was built on rugged individualism, and today that has evolved into a culture of narcissism. But God didn't create you to live for you. If you want to follow Jesus, you have to put aside your selfish ambition. — Rick Warren
The hardest walk is walking alone, but it's also the walk that makes you the strongest.
Human nature must have come much nearer perfection than it is now, or will be in many generations, to exclude from such a control prejudice, selfishness, ambition, and injustice. — Elihu Root
Individuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification. — C. J. Mahaney
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 — Bible
His enemies said he [Robert Kennedy] was consumed with selfish ambition, a ruthless opportunist exploiting his brother's legend. But he was too passionate and too vulnerable ever to be the cool and confident operator his brother was. — Jack Newfield
Selfish Desire Quotes
Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love. — Sri Yukteswar Giri
The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. — Woodrow Wilson
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass away.
Yet one more item is needed to complete success, and that is the rendering of service to others in the community. Without this the mere satisfaction of selfish desire does not reach the top notch. — Robert Baden-Powell
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
Let us make a pledge that, if not all day or all night long, at least for a few moments every day, we will make an effort to experience love, love that is free from selfishness, free from desire, free from expectation, love that is complete freedom. — Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
The root of humanly caused evil is not man's animal nature, not territorial aggression, or innate selfishness, but our need to gain self-esteem, deny our mortality, and achieve a heroic self-image. Our desire for the best is the cause of the worst. — Sam Keen
In this world, whenever there is light, there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exist, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars and hatred is born to protect love. — Masashi Kishimoto
Compassion brings fulfillment to the heart. Selfish desires simply agitate the heart. — Radhanath Swami
... a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings, and aspirations to which he clings because of their superpersonal value. — Albert Einstein
Selfishness Quotes
Much as we might wish to believe otherwise, universal love and the welfare of the species as a whole are concepts which simply do not make evolutionary sense. — Richard Dawkins
We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
I'm just the mere shadow of my former selfishness. I crave the silhouette of your kiss. — Elvis Costello
True happiness comes from having a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved by cultivating altruism, love and compassion, and by eliminating anger, selfishness and greed. — Dalai Lama
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. — Mother Teresa
Millennials are often portrayed as apathetic, disinterested, tuned out and selfish. None of those adjectives describe the Millennials I've been privileged to meet and work with. — Chelsea Clinton
Any opposition not based on rationalism or science or experience will one day or other, reveal the fraud, selfishness, lies and conspiracies. — Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes. — Andrew Jackson
We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness, and selfishness. — Booker T. Washington
I'm going to be meeting with people today who talk too much - people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won't be surprised or disturbed, for I can't imagine a world without such people. — Marcus Aurelius
Selfishness And Greed Quotes
Cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness, and jealousy. Then only you can manifest it externally. Then only, those who come in contact with you, will be benefited by your vibrations of peace and harmony. — Sivananda
The inescapable fact is that when we build a society based on greed, selfishness, and ruthless competition, the fruits we can expect to reap are economic insecurity at home and international discord abroad. — Tommy Douglas
Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see - Egoism, Arrogance, Conceit, Selfishness, Greed, Lust, Intolerance, Anger, Lying, Cheating, Gossiping and Slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then will be ready to fight the enemy you can see. — Al-Ghazali
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed. — Mahatma Gandhi
All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. — Dalai Lama
The covetous man is good to none and worst to himself. —
I like to think that my arrogance, impetuosity, impatience, selfishness and greed are the qualities that make me the lovable chap I am. — Richard Hammond
As Jesus explained, the right things have to die so the right things can live--we die to selfishness, greed, power, accumulation, prestige, and self-preservation, giving life to community, generosity, compassion, mercy, brotherhood, kindness, and love. The gospel will die in the toxic soil of self. — Sayings
As time goes on we get closer to that American Dream of there being a pie cut up and shared. Usually greed and selfishness prevent that and there is always one bad apple in every barrel. — Rick Danko
Greed pulls people in, and fear pushes them out. — Naved Abdali
Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn't thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I'm just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn't paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing. — Lionel Messi
Money doesn't change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish or arrogant or greedy, the money brings that out, that's all. — Henry Ford
Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. — W. C. Fields
To make money in stocks, you need to have vision to see them, courage to buy them and patience to hold them. Patience is the rarest of the three. — Thomas Phelps
The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. — Bruce Lee
Money is a bonus of the job, but it doesn’t always make you happy. — Harry Kane
My experience indicates that most people who've accumulated a great deal of wealth haven't had that as their goal at all. Wealth is only a by-product, not the original motivation. — Michael Milken
The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life. — Charles R. Schwab
I don’t fight for the money, but every person is different. — Khabib Nurmagomedov
Self Interest Quotes
You know, what's interesting is, being your own self is kind of a blur. — David Chase
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people I’ve known are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self interest. — John Glenn
Joining a band of brothers together, a group with one common interest or mission, whether as a company, a team, or a motorcycle club, requires not only a commitment to loyalty but an understanding of self-preservati on as well. — Sonny Barger
To be just, it is not enough to refrain from injustice. One must go further and refuse to play its game, substituting love for self-interest as the driving force of society. — Pedro Arrupe
Though we can't always see it at the time, if we look upon events with some perspective, we see things always happen for our best interests. We are always being guided in a way better than we know ourselves. — Swami Satchidananda
Human beings are emotional amoral egoists, driven above all by emotional self-interest. All of our thoughts, beliefs and motivations are neurochemically mediated, some predetermined for survival, others alterable. — Nayef Al-Rodhan
The punters know that the horse named Morality rarely gets past the post, whereas the nag named Self-interest always runs a good race. — Gough Whitlam
It’s amazing what we can do when our passion meets a purpose greater than our self. That’s why we need to explore our curiosity. Invest in what interests us. Follow what intrigues us. — Jay Shetty
People are more interested in what you have to say if they think your thoughts come from a self-determined place, and they’ll begin to tune you out if they suspect you tend to just repeat what you heard from another source. — Tim Urban
Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through interest. — James Clear
Human Selfishness Quotes
Leadership means firmness, not harshness or bullying; understanding, not weakness; justice, not irresponsible freedom; humaneness, not intolerance; generosity, not selfishness; pride, not egotism. — Omar N. Bradley
Go on bravely. Do not expect success in a day or a year. Always hold on to the highest. Be steady. Avoid jealousy and selfishness. Be obedient and eternally faithful to the cause of truth, humanity, and your country, and you will move the world. — Swami Vivekananda
Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups of selfish individuals. — E. O. Wilson
Let us have but one end in view, the welfare of humanity; and let us put aside all selfishness in consideration of language, nationality, or religion. — John Amos Comenius
I want to live in a world where every person gives far more than they take. — Markiplier
An institution or reform movement that is not selfish, must originate in the recognition of some evil that is adding to the sum of human suffering, or diminishing the sum of happiness. — Clara Barton
Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness. — Alveda King
Our minds can go no further. The human imagination is capable of no further expression of beauty than the carved owl of Athene, the archaic, marble serpent, the arrogant selfish head of the Acropolis Apollo. — Hilda Doolittle
I would have been a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being. Not that that has stopped most people going off and having children. — Katharine Hepburn
If it’s you and me against the world, then so be it. — Jay-Z
People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway. — Mother Teresa
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. — Mother Teresa
If I had my way, I would not want influence over anyone but my little family. — Enoch Adeboye
The Man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself. — Ramakrishna
I write from my life, my experience. I’m selfish that way. — Pink
We want to hire people who are self-learners. — Eric Yuan
The biggest coward is a man who awakens a woman’s love with no intention of loving her. — Edward Barber
Many people say that you have to love yourself first before you can love others, but really, if you learn to love others, you will learn to love yourself. — Brianna Wiest
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; build it anyway. — Mother Teresa
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. — Mother Teresa
Do you know someone you would like to change and regulate and improve? Good! That is fine. I am all in favor of it, But why not begin on yourself? From a purely selfish standpoint, that is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others - yes, and a lot less dangerous. — Dale Carnegie
Money and power don’t change you, they just further expose your true self. — Jay-Z
Your “why” should be centered around yourself. If you’re not taken care of, how do you ever expect to take care of others? — Isaac Mashman
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. — Mother Teresa
The challenge and the energy running requires may be a selfish one, but it actually motivates me to be stronger in my relationships. — Joan Benoit
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway. — Mother Teresa
To exercise some sort of control over others is the secret motive of every selfish person. — Wallace D. Wattles
Selfishness, not love, is the actuating motive of the gallant. — Mme. Roland
The greatest surprise of human evolution may be that the highest form of selfishness is selflessness. — Robert E. Ornstein
We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive. — Lord Byron
Selfishness, not love, is the actuating motive of the gallant. — Madame Roland
Every selfish motive therefore, every family attachment, ought to recommend such a system of policy as would provide no less carefully for the rights and happiness of the lowest than of the highest orders of Citizens. — George Mason
A wise Government seeks to provide the opportunity through which the best of individual achievement can be obtained, while at the same time it seeks to remove such obstruction, such unfairness as springs from selfish human motives. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Maybe coming clean is the ultimate selfish act. A way to absolve yourself by hurting someone who doesn't deserve to be hurt. — Cindy Chupack
Given a man full of faith, you will have a man tenacious in purpose, absorbed in one grand object, simple in his motives, in whom selfishness has been driven out by the power of a mightier love, and indolence stirred into unwearied energy. — Alexander Maclaren
Every major horror of history was committed in the name of an altruistic motive. Has any act of selfishness ever equalled the carnage perpetrated by disciples of altruism. — Ayn Rand
This is the true joy of life-the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown to the scrap-heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish clod of ailments and grievances. — George Bernard Shaw
If efforts to do social work are couched in selfish motives, then they will die a premature death. Why would my efforts get politicised? I have values I inherited from my father. He helped many. Anyone, even a postman knocking on our door would get a glass of water and some sweets. — Sachin Tendulkar
You know, we're really destroying ourselves because we're really making the motivating force of anything we do selfish. — Ralph Steadman
Sometimes a fog will settle over a vessel's deck and yet leave the topmast clear. Then a sailor goes up aloft and gets a lookout which the helmsman on deck cannot get. So prayer sends the soul aloft; lifts it above the clouds in which our selfishness and egotism befog us, and gives us a chance to see which way to steer. — Sayings
I am convinced that the majority of people would be generous from selfish motives, if they had the opportunity. — Charles Dudley Warner
Selfishness is the grand moving principle of nine-tenths of our actions. — Francois de la Rochefoucauld
All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. — George Orwell
The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter. Frankly, this side of eternity we will never unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure. God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. — Richard J. Foster
Socialism proposes no adequate substitute for the motive of enlightened selfishness that today is at the basis of all human labor and effort, enterprise and new activity. — William Howard Taft
In Conclusion
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