53 Self interest Quotes

If men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all?

One thing about a pig, he thinks he's warm if his nose is warm. I saw a bunch of pigs one time that had frozen together in a rosette, each one's nose tucked under the rump of the one in front. We have a lot of pigs in politics.

A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.

With some notable exceptions, businessmen favor free enterprise in general but are opposed to it when it comes to themselves.

Mankind censure injustice fearing that they may be the victims of it, and not because they shrink from committing it.

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying. I don't want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen; I want to live on in my apartment.

Each for himself is still the rule We learn it when we go to school- The devil take the hindmost, O!

The world isn't fair, but as long as it's tilting in my direction I find that there's a natural cap to my righteous indignation.

As soon as I think that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate.

'He who stands aloof runs the risk of believing himself better than others and misusing his critique of society as an ideology for his private interest.'

A lawyer is a learned gentleman who rescues your estate from your enemies and keeps it himself.

But man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. He will be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-love in his favour, and shew them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them. Whoever offers to another a bargain of any kind, proposes to do this. Give me that which I want, and you shall have this which you want, is the meaning of every such offer; and it is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part of those good offices which we stand in need of. It is not from the benevolence of the butcher the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages.

I think the most basic difference between Liberalism and Conservatism today, at its core, is that Conservatives seem to want a better world for themselves - while Liberals just seem to want a better world.

An open society is a society which allows its members the greatest possible degree of freedom in pursuing their interests compatible with the interests of others. The Bush administration merely has a narrower definition of self-interest. It does not include the interests of others.

It [the bourgeoisie] has pitilessly torn asunder the motley of ties that bound man to his 'natural superiors,' and left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous 'cash payment.'

As every individual, therefore, endeavours as much as he can both to employ his capital in the support of domestic industry, and so to direct that industry that its produce may be of the greatest value; every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it.

Honour thy parents; that is, all From whom advancement may befall: Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive Officiously to keep alive.

Every man is, no doubt, by nature, first and principally recommended to his own care; and as he is fitter to take care of himself than of any other person, it is fit and right that it should be so.

You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits, but I hope you don't. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, although I believe you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, although I do believe you have that debt. It's because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation. Because thinking only about yourself, fulfilling your immediate wants and needs, betrays a poverty of ambition.

If most of those who took part in this one-dimensional debate were honest with themselves, they would admit that they do not in principle believe that the United States can do any good overseas for anyone but the American government, its armed forces, or privileged American elites.

None of you would help me when I baked my bread / Now all of you would help me eat it / I can see that you are very well fed / This indicates that you don't need it.

Gineral C. is a dreffle smart man; He's ben on all sides thet give places or pelf; But consistency still wuz a part of his plan,- He's ben true to one party, an' thet is himself.

The strength of representative democracy is its ability to slow down those in power who wish to govern by blank cheque, but also those not in power who wish to yank the state about on the sole basis of their self-interest.

'Whose side are they on?' said Brocando. 'Sides? Their own, I suppose, just like everyone else.'

You don't burn the house you want to dwell in. You don't sink the boat on which you ride

I never actively engaged in politics, never made speeches. Politics is a whore. It's too high for me. Just as I don't understand American politics, so I don't understand German politics. The only interest in politics is to get to know how to lead a life under the most favorable circumstances.

'It was the work of opportunists, crooks, thugs for their own self-gain and interest.'

The main business of religions is to purify, control, and restrain that excessive and exclusive taste for well-being which men acquire in times of equality.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.

For conservation to be successful it is necessary to take into consideration that it is a characteristic of man that he can only be relied upon to do anything consistently which is in his own interest. He may have occasional fits of conscience and moral rectitude but otherwise his actions are governed by self-interest. It follows then that whatever the moral reasons for conservation it will only be achieved by the inducement of profit or pleasure.

Ce que nous prenons pour des vertus n'est souvent qu'un assemblage de diverses actions et de divers interets, que la fortune ou notre industrie savent arranger; et ce n'est pas toujours par valeur et par chastete que les hommes sont vaillants, et que les femmes sont chastes.

Men are moved by two levers only- fear and self interest.

This insinuation of the interests of the self into even the most ideal enterprises and most universal objectives, envisaged in moments of highest rationality, makes hypocrisy an inevitable by product of all virtuous endeavor.

While it is possible for intelligence to increase the range of benevolent impulse, and thus prompt a human being to consider the needs and rights of other than those to whom he is bound by organic and physical relationship, there are definite limits in the capacity of ordinary mortals which makes it impossible for them to grant to others what they claim for themselves.

I don't trust a man who talks about ethics when he is picking my pocket. But if he is acting in his own self-interest and says so, I have usually been able to work out some way to do business with him.