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Selfishness Quotes

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Selfishness Quotes

“Here and there, human nature may be great in times of trial, but generally speaking it is its weakness and not its strength that appears in a sick chamber; it is selfishness and impatience rather than generosity and fortitude, that one hears of. There is so little real friendship in the world! – and unfortunately' (speaking low and tremulously) 'there are so many who forget to think seriously till it is almost too late.”

ThinkingWorldHumansMayLittlesRealForgetHuman NatureLateLowsWeaknessSickTrialsGenerositySelfishnessToo LateFortitudeChamberHere And ThereImpatienceReal Friendship
Book:Persuasion In Modern English
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“We can surely no longer pretend that our children are growing up into a peaceful, secure, and civilized world. We've come to the point where it's irresponsible to try to protect them from the irrational world they will have to live in when they grow up. The children themselves haven't yet isolated themselves by selfishness and indifference; they do not fall easily into the error of despair; they are considerably braver than most grownups. Our responsibility to them is not to pretend that if we don't look, evil will go away, but to give them weapons against it.”

IfsWorldGivingTryingLooksChildrenFallEvilGrowsParentResponsibilityGrowing UpGrowingHavensProtectDespairWeaponsOur ChildrenErrorsParentingPeacefulSecureSelfishnessIndifferenceGoing AwayCivilizedIsolatedIrrationalIrresponsibleGrownups
Author:Madeleine L'Engle
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“You will find as you grow older that the first thing needful to make the world a tolerable place to live in is to recognize the inevitable selfishness of humanity. You demand unselfishness from others, which is a preposterous claim that they should sacrifice their desires to yours. Why should they? When you are reconciled to the fact that each is for himself in the world you will ask less from your fellows. They will not disappoint you, and you will look upon them more charitably. Men seek but one thing in life -- their pleasure.”

MenWorldShouldFirstsLooksFactsDesireHumanityAsksGrowsPleasureOne ThingSacrificeDemandClaimsFellowsInevitableSelfishnessThings In LifeDisappointPlaces To LiveTolerableUnselfishnessHuman Bondage
Author:W. Somerset Maugham
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“I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness either for himself or for others; there is in love a sense of weakness, a desire to protect, an eagerness to do good and to give pleasure--if not unselfishness, at all events a selfishness which marvellously conceals itself; it has in it a certain diffidence.”

IfsGivingBelieveDesireCertainPleasureEmotionEventsProtectEssentialsCapableWeaknessSelfishnessTendernessEagernessUnselfishnessDiffidence
Book:The Moon and Sixpence
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“And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.”

FirstsMatterBeautifulFacesGivenDarkDutyLetting GoObligationSelfishnessDragDirtSomething BeautifulAnklesPray LoveEat Pray Love BookDark TimesEat Pray And LoveGiven Life
Book:The Complete Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat, Pray, Love; Committed; The Last American Man; Stern Men & Pilgrims
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“There are some upon this earth of yours,' returned the Spirit, 'who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name; who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.”

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Book:Christmas Books
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“many people must be ruled to thrive. In their selfishness and greed, they see free people as their oppressors. They wish to have a leader who will cut the taller plants so the sun will reach them. They think no plant should be allowed to grow taller than the shortest, and in that way give light to all. They would rather be provided a guiding light, regardless of the fuel, than light a candle themselves.”

PeopleThinkingWayGivingShouldLightWishGrowsLeaderSunCuttingPlantGreedSelfishnessFuelThriveCandleOppressorsGuiding LightSelfishness And Greed
Book:Wizard's First Rule
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“But thoughtless ingratitude is the armour of the young; without it, how would they ever get through life? The old wish the young well, but they wish them ill also: they would like to eat them up, and absorb their vitality, and remain immortal themselves. Without the protection of surliness and levity, all children would be crushed by the past - the past of others, loaded on their shoulders. Selfishness is their saving grace.”

WellsChildrenWould BePastYoungWishGraceIllProtectionShouldersSavingSelfishnessImmortalVitalityCrushedLoadedIngratitudeArmourLevitySaving Grace
Book:The Blind Assassin: A Novel
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“I didn't want to believe that killing was deep inside of me. I didn't want to think about the part of me that took a dark joy in gathering all the power it could and using it as I saw fit, everything else be damned. There was power to be had in hatred, too, in anger and in lust, in selfishness and in pride. And I knew that there was some dark corner of me that would enjoy using magic for killing—and then long for more. That was black magic, and it was easy to use. Easy and fun. Like Legos.”

ThinkingWantBelieveLongUseJoyFunEasyEnjoyBlackDarkSawsMagicPrideFitHatredKillingCornersLustSelfishnessGatheringDeep InsideDresdenHarry DresdenBlack MagicLegos
Book:The Dresden Files Collection 1-6
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“People pontificate, "Suicide is selfishness." Career churchmen like Pater go a step further and call in a cowardly assault on the living. Oafs argue this specious line for varying reason: to evade fingers of blame, to impress one's audience with one's mental fiber, to vent anger, or just because one lacks the necessary suffering to sympathize. Cowardice is nothing to do with it - suicide takes considerable courage. Japanese have the right idea. No, what's selfish is to demand another to endure an intolerable existence, just to spare families, friends, and enemies a bit of soul-searching.”

PeopleIdeasSoulReasonSufferingBitsLinesExistenceStepsEnemyCareersAudienceDemandBlameSuicideGuiltFingersEndureArguingSelfishSelfishnessCowardiceSparesImpressAssaultSoul SearchingCowardlyFiberFamily FriendsFriends And EnemiesRight Ideas
Author:David Mitchell
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“As we come to grips with our own selfishness and stupidity, we make friends with the impostor and accept that we are impoverished and broken and realize that, if we were not, we would be God. The art of gentleness toward ourselves leads to being gentle with others -- and is a natural prerequisite for our presence to God in prayer.”

IfsArtWould BeRealizingNaturalPrayerAcceptingBrokenStupiditySelfishnessGentleGentlenessPrerequisites
Book:Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
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“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection - or compassionate action.”

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Author:Daniel Goleman
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“We can leave a place behind, or we can stay in that place and leave our selfishness (often expressed in feeling sorry for ourselves) behind. If we leave a place and take our selfishness with us, the cycle of problems starts all over again no matter where we go. But if we leave our selfishness behind, no matter where we are, things start to improve.”

IfsMatterFeelingsProblemBehindsSorrySelfishnessCyclesFeeling Sorry
Book:The Other Side of Heaven
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“I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.”

PeopleInspirationalBelievePainSufferingTurnsI BelievePeaceCompassionIgnoranceGreedSatisfactionSelfishInner PeacePursuitSelfishnessContentmentAltruismTrue HappinessCultivationEliminationLove And CompassionCompassion For OthersSelfishness And Greed
Author:Dalai Lama
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“Here I am going to say something which may come as a bit of a shock. God doesn't necessarily want us to be happy. He wants us to be lovable. Worthy of love. Able to be loved by Him. We don't start off being all that lovable, if we're honest. What makes people hard to love? Isn't it what is commonly called selfishness? Selfish people are hard to love because so little love comes out of them.”

PeopleIfsWantMayLittlesHardAbleBitsHonestWorthySelfishSelfishnessShockHere I AmLovableLittle LoveSelfish PeopleWorthy Of Love
Author:William Nicholson
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“Long Distance training can be a positive & constructive form of selfishness. After all, once you're at the starting line, you're there by yourself. No one can run a single step for you. No one can jump in & help you. No one but you can make the decisions about what to do to keep going. It's all up to you.”

LongHelpingRunningFormLinesDecisionStepsTrainingDistanceStartingSelfishnessKeep GoingConstructiveUp To YouLong DistanceSingle Step
Book:Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person's Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half-Marathon or Marathon
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“Love...no such thing. Whatever it is that binds families and married couples together, that's not love. That's stupidity or selfishness or fear. Love doesn't exist. Self interest exists, attachment based on personal gain exists, complacency exists. But not love. Love has to be reinvented, that’s certain.”

SelfTogetherCertainInterestCoupleMarriedGainsStupiditySelfishnessAttachmentSelf InterestComplacencyFear Of LoveMarried CouplesPersonal Gain
Author:Arthur Rimbaud
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“Comrades!' he cried. 'You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.”

WellsHas BeensWholeSpiritNightAnimalImagineObjectsDependsDrinkManagementSakePrivilegeWell BeingSelfishnessSubstancePreservesWelfareApplesFarmsDislikeMilkSoleCriedPigsDay And NightOrganisationComrade
Book:Animal Farm and 1984
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“My hair would continue to gray, and then one day, it would fall out entirely, and then, on a day meaninglessly close to the present one, meaninglessly like the present one, I would disappear from the earth. And all these emotions, all these yearnings, all these data, if that helps to clinch the enormity of what I'm talking about, would be gone. And that's what immortality means. It means selfishness. My generations belief that each one of us matters more than you or anyone else would think.”

IfsThinkingMeanMatterHelpingWould BeEarthFallBeliefEmotionTalkingGoneGenerationsHairOne DayDisappearDataSelfishnessImmortalityGrayYearningMy Generation
Book:Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel
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