Lysander Spooner Quotes

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.

A man has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.

Most men have always wanted as much as they could get; and possession has always blunted the fine edge of their altruism.

But the wicked passions of men's hearts alone seem strong enough to leave pictures that persist; the good are ever too luke-warm.

Men never do good unless necessity drives them to it.

It seems that the world considers whoever gets benefit is the virtuous one

I believe that people generally want to be what we call good. They want to cooperate with people. They don't want to steal; they don't want to cheat. But everybody has a price. Everybody has an incentive.

Our selfishness is so robust and many-clutching that, well encouraged, it easily devours all sustenance away from our poor little scruples.

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

Behaving morally because of a hope of reward or a fear of punishment is not morality. Morality is not bribery or threats. Religion is bribery and threats. Humans have morality. We don't need religion.

Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.

Human beings place their desires ahead of the collective good.

Man is essentially a selfish creature. The differences in the degree with which this developed are infinite.

There's no such thing as altruism.

We are all prone to be a little selfish, a little lazy.

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

For a solitary animal egoism is a virtue that tends to preserve and improve the species: in any kind of community it becomes a destructive vice.

I believe it is universally understood and acknowledged that all men will ever act correctly, unless they have a motive to do otherwise.

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

I think that in today's world, by nature, we are all self-centered. And that often leads to selfishness.

Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.

When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing, those people don't exist because you've crushed anyone's desire to do the right thing with all these incentives.

The world is so competitive, aggressive, consumive, selfish and during the time we spend here we must be all but that.

The flesh, or human nature, is generally lazy and self-centered.

There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.