Naomi Klein Quotes

The major forces in human nature: self interest and caring for others

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

Good character consists of recognizing the selfishness that inheres in each of us and trying to balance it against the altruism to which we should all aspire. It is a difficult balance to strike, but no definition of goodness can be complete without it.

I guess you could say that no matter what the characters are enduring, I try to make them retain their humanity. Their self-absorbed, grouchy, selfish, aggravating humanity.

There's no such thing as altruism.

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

I think I'm still figuring out how to be a little less selfish.

There would be no supporting life were we to feel quite as poignantly for others as we do for ourselves.

The great majority of people are calm, resourceful, altruistic or even beyond altruistic, as they risk themselves for others. We improvise the conditions of survival beautifully.

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

I'm not very interested in myself. I do have a deep moral belief that you should always look out at other things and not be self-centred.

For myself, suffering doesnt make me a good person; it makes me selfish. Why do we think that people who have less should find it edifying?

I think we all have a selfish gene which rises to the top, sometimes. But then we're also all capable of a sudden magnanimity.

Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.

The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter.

Our everyday cares, making a living, the crazy rat race of life, often make us forget the value of a good deed. Thus, the goodness that exists within each and every one of us is covered with layer upon layer of indifference and unawareness. In fact, we almost have to be reminded of the fact that goodness is there inside us.

The existing principle of selfish interest and competition has been carried to its extreme point; and, in its progress, has isolated the heart of man, blunted the edge of his finest sensibilities, and annihilated all his most generous impulses and sympathies.

I guess because I'm a liberal I think it's not people's natural instinct to be completely self-interested.

Man is only truly great when he acts from the passions.

Without love, we are not free from our own self interest.

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

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

When you allow yourself to really think about the future and the legacy you're leaving, you become gentler.

My personal philosophy is that people should be extremely selfish for the first half of their life and extremely unselfish for the second half because then they can do the most good.

I'm not too selfish or unselfish.