Self Interest Quotes - Page 9

• Trust a witness in all matters in which neither his self-interest, his passions, his prejudices, nor the love of the marvellous is strongly concerned. When they are involved, require corroborative evidence in exact proportion to the contravention of probability by the thing testified.

  Thomas Huxley

  Passion, Self, Prejudice

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• I would define morality as enlightened self-interest...That old Platonic ideal that there are certain pure moral forms just isn't where we are.

  Andrew Young

  Self, Morality, Enlightened

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• There are two principles of established acceptance in morals; first, that self-interest is the mainspring of all of our actions, and secondly, that utility is the test of their value.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Acceptance, Self, Two

  "Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think". Book by Charles Caleb Colton, 1820.

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• Self-interest is an ineffable feeling which shall follow us into God's very presence since they say there is a hierarchy even among the Holy Saints.

  Honore de Balzac

  Self, Feelings, Saint

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• Generosity is also an act of freedom, a casting off of the constraints of prudence and self-interest.

  Marilynne Robinson

  Casting Off, Self, Generosity

  "What A Shy Waitress Taught Me About Generosity" by Marilynne Robinson, www.huffingtonpost.com. November 2, 2013.

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• What proposition is there respecting human nature which is absolutely and universally true? We know of only one,--and that is not only true, but identical,--that men always act from self-interest.

  Thomas B. Macaulay

  Men, Self, Humanity

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• What impels every man to the utmost exertion in the service of his fellow man. Is, in the market not compulsion on the part of gendarmes, hangmen and penal courts, it is self interest.

  Ludwig von Mises

  Men, Self, Fellow Man

  Ludwig Von Mises (1990). “Economic freedom and interventionism: an anthology of articles and essays”

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• Morality, after all, has nothing to do with selflessness. On the contrary, self-interest is precisely the basis of the categorical imperative.

  Frans de Waal

  Self, Morality, Categorical Imperative

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• Politics now is really only about self-interest, which means it has violence built into it because your self-interest is going to collide with the self-interest of the rest of the world. That's inevitable.

  Pankaj Mishra

  Mean, Self, World

  "'The Buddha' & the End of Human Suffering / Pankaj Mishra in Kathmandu, Nepal". Interview with Felix Holmgren, The Liberator Magazine, Volume 7.2, Issue 22, www.livefromplanetearth.org. 2008.

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• Our civilization is locked in the grip of an ideology - corporatism. An ideology that denies and undermines the legitimacy of individuals as the citizen in a democracy. The particular imbalance of this ideology leads to a worship of self-interest and a denial of the public good. The practical effects on the individual are passivity and conformism in the areas that matter, and non-conformism in the areas that don't

  John Ralston Saul

  Self, Civilization, Democracy

  John Ralston Saul (2012). “The Unconscious Civilization”, p.186, Simon and Schuster

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• The God of the Bible is the God of liberation rather than oppression; a God of justice rather than injustice; a God of freedom and humanity rather than enslavement and subservience; a God of love, righteousness and community rather than hatred, self-interest and exploitation.

  Allan Boesak

  Spiritual, Self, Justice

  Allan Aubrey Boesak (1978). “Black theology, black power”

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• I sense that, without sensitivity to physical pain and pleasure, man would not have known self-interest, and consequently know just or unjust acts. Thus, physical sensitivity and self-interest are the authors of all justice.

  Jonathan Balcombe

  Pain, Men, Self

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• I shall not fear to say that the doctrine of self-interest rightly understood seems to me of all the philosophic theories the most appropriate to the needs of men in our time, and that I see in it the most powerful guarantee against themselves that remains to them. The minds of the moralists of our day ought to turn, therefore, principally toward it. Even should they judge it imperfect, they would still have to adopt it as necessary.

  Alexis de Tocqueville

  Powerful, Men, Self

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• Hungry Hatred, will not strive against intelligence self-interest.

  T. S. Eliot

  Hate, Self, Hatred

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• Where does this guy's ambition go? That's very peculiar. I think he's a very disturbing person, I think he's a very disturbing politician. Personally, I feel his interest is a self-interest

  Helen Mirren

  Ambition, Thinking, Self

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• In a reality, what we should be doing is having quiet diplomacy with the Russians to convince them that it's in their self-interest to have a more stable Middle East because trade enriches us all.

  Rand Paul

  Reality, Self, Middle East

  Source: www.wbur.org

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• I think we can't be naive in dealing with the Russians or dealing with the Syrians. But at the same time, I think we could try to encourage - and I think this is what diplomacy should do - encourage the self-interests of all parties to believe that it is in their best interest to get evil actors or rogue actors such as Syria or Iran, if you try to have less belligerent and less bellicose behavior.

  Rand Paul

  Party, Believe, Thinking

  "Rand Paul On Syria: 'I Think There's Evil On Both Sides'". "Tell Me More" with Michel Martin, news.stlpublicradio.org. September 11, 2013.

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• Human service is the highest form of self-interest for the person who serves.

  Elbert Hubbard

  Self, Justice, Diversity

  Elbert Hubbard (2005). “Loyalty in Business: One and Twenty Other Good Things”, p.53, Cosimo, Inc.

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• We probably have a greater love for those we support than for those who support us. Our vanity carries more weight than our self-interest.

  Eric Hoffer

  Vanity, Self, Support

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• The moment that the state came into conflict with the higher power, the moment that it set itself up as an end in itself, it became identified with Augustine's earthly city and lost all claims to a higher sanction than the law of force and self-interest. Without justice, what is a great kingdom but a great robbery, magnum latrocinium?

  Christopher Dawson

  Self, Law, Cities

  Christopher Dawson (1932). “The Making of Europe: An Introduction to the History of European Unity”, p.174, CUA Press

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• Children like their mothers especially to be standing still and watching them, even if they are sleeping. At least that's how I felt. There's nothing wrong with the self-interest of children; it's just the way they are.

  Jamaica Kincaid

  Inspiring, Mothers Day, Children

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• In view of the importance of philanthropy in our society, it is surprising that so little attention has been given to it by economic or social theorists. In economic theory, especially, the subject is almost completely ignored. This is not, I think, because economists regard mankind as basically selfish or even because economic man is supposed to act only in his self-interest; it is rather because economics has essentially grown up around the phenomenon of exchange and its theoretical structure rests heavily on this process.

  Kenneth E. Boulding

  Selfish, Men, Thinking

  "Notes on a Theory of Philanthropy". "Philanthropy and Public Policy", edited by Frank G. Dickinson, 1962.

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• My main life lesson from investing: self-interest is the most powerful force on earth, and can get people to embrace and defend almost anything.

  Jesse Lauriston Livermore

  Powerful, Life Lesson, Self

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• Which is more subversive-and corrosive-to believe in altruism or to see it simply as a cloak of self interest? Even if altruism did not exist, it would be necessary to believe in it. Pessimists in power are prone to despotism.

  Frank Prochaska

  Believe, Self, Volunteer

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• The philanthropic tradition is older than democracy, older than Christianity, and older than higher education. It gives form and purpose to personal and social life that cannot be provided by the self-interest of economic enterprise or required by the mandate of political institutions.

  Robert L. Payton

  Self, Giving, Political

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