Best Motive Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 13

“There have been a number of philosophers who have reveled in the dismantling of truth. I think they did so with good ethical motives, and for good philosophical reasons. I can see the sense in what they were talking about; the idea that truth is often claimed by elites in order to further certain agendas. They crowd-out alternative perspectives - particularly those of the powerless. But the undermining of truth contributed - in the weird, indirect way that philosophy contributes to the culture - to a rejection of the idea of truth as having any kind of proper meaning at all.”

Thinking Kind Reason Philosophy Culture Perspective Truth Is Philosophical Philosopher Motive Rejection Ethical Powerless Indirect

Author:Julian Baggini

“I am a convinced and consistent critic of party-parliamentarism. I am for non-partisan elections of true people's representatives who are accountable to their regions and districts; and who in case of unsatisfactory work can be recalled. I do understand and respect the formation of groups on economical, cooperative, territorial, educational, professional and industrial principles, but I see nothing organic in political parties. Politically motivated ties can be unstable and quite often they have selfish ulterior motives.”

Political Party Election Critics Educational Selfish Motive Consistent Motivated Political Parties Ulterior Motive

Author:Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“I find it quite difficult to analyze my own motives for things. I tend to go with a gut feeling in the moment.”

Moments Feelings Difficult Motive Guts

Author:Jamie Lidell

“It is possible to work across the aisle in Washington, but it's hard. And I think it's been made worse by the kind of 24-hour news cycle, the fact that everything is on TV before you can work things out quietly. I think it's the intensity of information that makes it feel more difficult to get things done. But I didn't leave with a bitter taste about the politics. The one thing that I would say is, I do think there is an unfortunate tendency to turn political differences, or policy differences, into critiques of one another's character or motives, and that's unfortunate.”

Thinking Kind Done Character Political Difficult Policy Bitter Motive Unfortunate Critique

Author:Condoleezza Rice

“There are a lot of people who are doing wonderful things, quietly, with no motive of greed, or hostility toward other people, or delusions of superiority.”

People Literature Wonderful Quiet Greed Motive Delusion Materialism Superiority Wonderful Things Hostility

Author:Charles Kuralt

“I don't necessarily find superheroes in general, for me, that appealing. I'd much prefer to play, if I was to be cast in a superhero film, I'd prefer to play the villain because there's a reason, there's a motive behind their madness.”

Ifs Reason Play Film Behinds Madness Casts Motive Villain Superhero

Author:Ryan Kwanten

“You will find in politics that you are much exposed to the attribution of false motive. Never complain and never explain.”

Political Politics Complaining Motive Exposed Attribution

Author:Stanley Baldwin

“Bob Dylan has always sealed his decisions with the unexplainable. His motives for withholding the release of the magnificent 'Basement Tapes' will be as forever obscure as Brian Wilson's reasons for the destruction of the tapes for 'Smile.'”

Reason Decision Forever Destruction Release Motive Bob Tape Magnificent Obscure Dylan Basements Wilson Brian Withholding Unexplainable

Author:Jon Landau

“If you're against globalisation, it doesn't achieve much by sort of bombing the head offices of Shell or Nestle. You unsettle people much more by blowing up an Oxfam shop because people can't understand the motive.”

People Ifs Achieve Office Motive Shops Shells Bombing Globalisation Blowing Up Oxfam

Author:J. G. Ballard

“Young gentlemen, who are to display their knowledge to the world, should have every motive of emulation, should be formed into regular classes, should read and dispute together, should have all the honors, and, if one may say so, the pomp of learning set before them, to call up their ardor. It is their business, and they should apply to it as such.”

Ifs World Should May Together Young Class Honor Should Have Gentleman Motive Display Disputes Ardor Emulation Young Gentlemen

Book:The Works of Anna Laetitia Barbauld: In Two Volumes

Source: The Works of Anna Laetitia Barbauld: In Two Volumes

“People's behavior makes sense if you think about it in terms of their goals, needs, and motives.”

People Ifs Thinking Inspirational Needs Goal Term Education Behavior Make Sense Motive Setting Goals Education And Teachers Teacher And Student

Author:Thomas Mann

“But behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts, as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication.”

Way Humans Sometimes Language Human Beings Communication Behavior Defense Motive Hiding Preventing Body Language Concealing Peak Experiences Language And Communication Languages Communication Verbal Communication

Author:Abraham Maslow

“Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own.”

Conflict Revenge Opponents Motive Live By

Author:James M. Barrie

“Mysteries and thrillers are not the same things, though they are literary siblings. Roughly put, I would say the distinction is that mysteries emphasize motive and psychology whereas thrillers rely more heavily on action and plot.”

Action Psychology Mystery Rely Motive Distinction Plot Sibling Thrillers

Author:Jon Meacham

“Motives reveal why we do what we do, which is actually more important to God than what we're doing.”

Important Motivational Motive Why We Do What We Do

Author:Joyce Meyer

“This unusual and highly successful species spends a great deal of time examining his higher motives and an equal amount of time ignoring his fundamental ones.”

Deals Successful Amount Higher Equal Fundamentals Species Motive Unusual Examining

Book:The illustrated naked ape: a zoologist's study of the human animal

Source: The illustrated naked ape: a zoologist's study of the human animal

“When I wrote 'We Were The Mulvaneys,' I was just old enough to look back upon my own family life and the lies of certain individuals close to me, with the detachment of time. I wanted to tell the truth about secrets: How much pain they give, yet how much relief, even happiness we may feel when at last the motive for secrecy has passed.”

Giving Feels Looks May Enough Wanted Pain Lasts Lying Certain Individual My Own Secret Motive Relief Telling The Truth Family Life Secrecy Detachment

Author:Joyce Carol Oates

“That he delights in the misery of others no man will confess, and yet what other motive can make a father cruel?”

Men Father Misery Delight Motive Fathers Day Mean People

Book:A Collection of Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments

Source: A Collection of Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments

“Evolutionary psychologists seem to want to unmask our noblest motives as ultimately self-interested - to show that our love for children, compassion for the unfortunate and sense of justice are just tactics in a Darwinian struggle to perpetuate our genes.”

Want Children Self Shows Seems Justice Compassion Struggle Motive Genes Unfortunate Our Love Tactics Psychologist Children Love

Author:Steven Pinker

“However much we might deplore the profit motive, or consumerist values, if everyone just wants i-Pods we would probably be better off than if they wanted class revolution.”

Ifs Want Might Wanted Values Class Revolution Profit Motive Better Off Profit Motive

Author:Steven Pinker

“It's not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even - or rather, especially - when we'd prefer not to be.”

Needs Kind Play Jobs Kindness Judging Determine Worthy Motive Be Kind Jury Ulterior Motive Judge And Jury

Author:Josh Radnor

“Do not ever say that the desire to 'do good' by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives.”

“Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?”

Trying Wells Brother Motive

Author:Ezra Taft Benson

“Any actor who judges his character is a fool - for every role you play you've got to absorb that character's motives and justifications.”

Play Character Actors Roles Judging Fool Motive Justification

Author:Alan Rickman

“We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them.”

People Ifs Inspirational Saws Integrity Ethics Deeds Motive Ashamed Good Deeds Kind Deeds

Author:Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.”

Ifs World Inspirational Feels Should Action Motive Ashamed

Author:Francois de La Rochefoucauld

“We acknowledge but one motive - to follow the truth as we know it, whithersoever it may lead us; but in our heart of hearts we are well assured that the truth which has made us free, will in the end make us glad also.”

Knows Wells Heart May Made Ends Truth Glad Acknowledge Motive Free Will Assured Follow Your Heart

Author:Mortimer Adler

“He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obstacles.”

Inspirational Success Ability Wind Achievement Obstacles Motive Sail Sailing Sailor Steers Nautical Sailing And The Sea Ships At Sea Greatest Obstacles Sailors And The Sea Sailing And Wind

Author:Walter Scott

“Desire is poverty. Desire is the greatest impurity of the mind. Desire is the motive force for action. Desire in the mind is the real impurity. Even a spark of desire is a very great evil.”

Mind Real Action Desire Evil Force Poverty Motive Sparks Impurity

Author:Sivananda

“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.”

Done Names Motive Sole Nsa

Author:Edward Snowden

“Naturally, it is a terrible, despicable crime when, as in Munich, people are taken hostage, people are killed. But probing the motives of those responsible and showing that they are also individuals with families and have their own story does not excuse what they did.”

People Doe Stories Individual Taken Crime Terrible Responsible Excuse Motive Hostage Despicable Munich Probing

Author:Steven Spielberg

“What is the motive to the secret ballot? This, and only this: Like other confederates in crime, those who use it are not friends, but enemies; and they are afraid to be known, and to have their individual doings known, even to each other.”

Use Individual Secret Known Enemy Crime Motive Ballots Doings Confederate Not Friends

Book:No Treason

Source: No Treason

“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”

“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.”

Humans Today Effort Activity Labor Bases Socialism Selfishness Presidential Motive Enterprise Enlightened Substitutes Capitalist Adequate Propose New Day Socializing

Source: Popular Government: Its Essence, Its Permanence and Its Perils

“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.”

Ifs Values Dies Father Social Water Effort Doors Sweet Glasses Selfish Motive Social Work Knocking Premature Postman Premature Death Selfish Motives

Author:Sachin Tendulkar

“If you're actually allowing your creative part to control your writing rather than a more commercial instinct or motive, then you'll find that all sorts of interesting things will bubble up to the surface.”

Ifs Writing Interesting Creative Instinct Surface Motive Allowing Bubbles Interesting Things

Author:Emma Thompson

“I was born in Israel, to Canadian parents. My father immigrated in 1948, part of a wave of young men and women who came as pioneers, to fight for a Jewish homeland. Their motive was in large part a reaction to the Holocaust, and their slogan was 'Never Again.'”

Men Young Fighting Father Parent Born Men And Women Wave Israel Reactions Young Man Motive Holocaust Slogans Homeland Pioneers

Author:Ayelet Waldman

“The hippie movement politicized my generation. When it ended, we all started looking back at our own history, looking, in my case, for motives of rebellion.”

Cases Generations Movement Motive Rebellion Looking Back Hippie My Generation

Author:Vivienne Westwood

“No period of history has ever been great or ever can be that does not act on some sort of high, idealistic motives, and idealism in our time has been shoved aside, and we are paying the penalty for it.”

Doe Has Beens Periods Motive Our Time Penalties Idealism Idealist Idealistic

Book:Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead

Source: Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead

“Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.”

Source: The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: The picture of Dorian Gray : the 1890 and 1891 texts

“The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.”

Inspirational Looks Light Shadow Deeds Motive

Author:William Butler Yeats

“A lot of times people's main motives and plan in life is to hurt as many people as they can, but I think there's enough good people that help make the world a good place.”

People Thinking World Enough Helping Life Is Hurt Plans Motive Good People Hurt Feelings Good Place Plans In Life

Author:Tina Yothers

“Where destruction is the motive, unity is dangerous. For example, if I have evil intent and I galvanize that evil intent with many others, the capacity to destroy is immense. Where goodness is the motive, unity is phenomenal and actually has some good issues to it.”

Ifs Evil Issues Dangerous Example Goodness Capacity Destruction Unity Motive Immense Phenomenal

Author:Ravi Zacharias

“The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.”

People World Force History Motive World History Chinese Revolution

Book:Quotations from Chairman Mao Tsetung

Source: Quotations from Chairman Mao Tsetung

“Heroes are those who can somehow resist the power of the situation and act out of noble motives, or behave in ways that do not demean others when they easily can.”

Way Situation Power Hero Noble Behave Motive Heroic Social Psychology

Author:Philip Zimbardo

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

“There are two motives for reading a book; one, that you enjoy it; the other, that you can boast about it.”

Inspirational Two Book Humor Funny Reading Enjoy Motive Boast Book Reading Reading Habits

Book:The Conquest of Happiness

Source: The Conquest of Happiness

“I wish sometimes you had a few bad motives, you might understand a little more about human beings.”

Humans Littles Sometimes Might Wish Human Beings Motive

Book:The Collected Edition: The quiet American

Source: The Collected Edition: The quiet American

“Because today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups... So I ask, in my writing, What is real? Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing.”

“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.”

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Motive Quotes