Mignon McLaughlin Quotes

The whole history of the world has been the struggle between the selfish and the unselfish.

Selfishness is the bedrock on which all moral behavior starts and it can be immoral only when it conflicts with a higher moral imperative.

There's no such thing as altruism.

This idea of selfishness as a virtue, as opposed to generosity: That, to me, is unnatural.

If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject.

The moralist is the person who tells people that they ought to be unselfish, when they still feel like egos, and his efforts are always and invariably futile.

Moral principle is a looser bond than pecuniary interest.

There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.

If you've developed an ideology that what's good for you personally also happens to be good for everyone else, that's quite wonderful because there's no moral tension.

Nothing is properly one's duty but what is also one's interest.

The virtuous man is driven by responsibility, the non-virtuous man is driven by profit.

Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'

Hollywood wants its heroes to be virtuous, but it defines virtue in a way that excludes any action that is self-interested. If virtue means putting others ahead of self, then it's clear that most people, let alone most capitalists, aren't very virtuous.

Human beings place their desires ahead of the collective good.

I don't know if it's ever OK for someone to be selfish. Perhaps there's a time and place to be self-centered, but I think selfish never wins the race.

In brief, egoism in its modern interpretation, is the antithesis, not of altruism, but of idealism.

Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself.

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.

Every forward is selfish, and any forward who tells you he is not selfish is a liar.

Know the difference between principles based on right or wrong vs. principles based on personal gain, and consider the basis of your own principles.

I'm really interested in the difference between selfishness and generosity. It confuses me to no end because sometimes it all just feels like pure indulgence on my part.

I feel really ambiguous about the psychology of people trying to do good in the world.

Don't overestimate the decency of the human race.

If honor were profitable, everybody would be honorable.

I was taught in school that I have to look out for number one. That was against everything that I intuitively felt.