Selfishness Quotes – 40 Sayings About Egoism, Stubbornness, Hypocrisy, Stinginess and Ruthlessness

Are you looking for exciting selfishness quotes and sayings about stubbornness? Then you've come to the right place! Thinking about yourself first is a fundamentally natural and human characteristic. If the consequences of self-centered behavior have a benefit for the general public, we can even speak of positive selfishness.

But when you classify someone as selfish, you usually mean a negative character trait that has previously been characterized mainly by reckless behavior which often results in direct or indirect harm to third parties in the short or long term. Personally, I have the feeling that self-centeredness and self-interest are on the rise in our society. Nowadays, people are even admired if they think and act in solidarity - which should actually be the rule. After all, it is values such as solidarity and altruism that are driving the positive development of our global society as a whole.

I would therefore like to provide you with a valuable collection of quotes about selfishness and self-centeredness to inspire us all to consider the consequences of our actions for others when making our own decisions. Let's go!

My please: Keep in mind that many of the quotes about selfishness have been translated into English from other languages. I cannot guarantee that it is the original quote in each case. Therefore, double check them and feel free to leave a corrective comment. If you like and share any of the quotes in the internet, please link this elaborately created collection. Thank you for your support!

40 quotes about egoism, autophilia, stubbornness and an egocentric view of the world

People with an egocentric view of the world see focus on yourself and are always and quite determined, mindful of their own wishes. You like to work with the Elbow principleuse other people as a springboard and only show consideration if they themselves do not have to cut back. Egoists, for example, also show off by hypocritical, greedy and avaricious behavior to recognize. They also stand out because they find it very difficult to put themselves in other people's shoes.

But when everyone (always or mostly) thinks only of themselves, How then are real problems and the ultimate challenges facing the world's population to be solved? The largest Environmental problems of our time For example. Or how to deal with this egoistic thinking. Combating racism or the Stop world hunger? This does not work!

Of course it's okay to think about yourself from time to time. But we should all remember that our actions usually have consequences for others. Use the following sayings to inspire yourself and others to show more solidarity in everyday life.

Good to know: Egotism and narcissism are similar traits because they both relate to a person's egocentricity. But there is a significant difference. Narcissism is a pathological personality disorder, whereas egotism merely describes the pursuit of personal gain.

Selfishness quotes 1 - 10

1. "Selfishness is the cliff on which every friendship shatters." (Ludwig Tieck)
2. "Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself." (Khalil Gibran)
3. "Make your ego porous. Will is of little importance, complaining is nothing, fame is nothing. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
4. "Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live." (Oscar Wilde)
5. "Those who do not hate their own selfishness and regard themselves as more important than the rest of the world are blind because the truth lies elsewhere." (Blaise Pascal)
6. "To have and not to give is often worse than to steal." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
7. "Stupidity and self-interest have created privilege." (Johann Gottfried Seume)
8. "Fraud and self-interest are inseparable companions." (Ignaz Felner)
9. "The egoistic age knows no honor." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
10. "Ruthlessness is the brutality of arrogance."(Gerhard Uhlenbruck)

Tip: I have you in a separate post also still the best Quotes about arrogance compiled. Feel free to have a look there as well!

Egoism Quotes 11 - 20

11. "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." (Martin Luther King)
12. "Each man for himself in that desert of egoism which is called life." (Stendhal)
13. "Blessed are the ruthless, for they shall inherit the earth." (Peter Hille)
14. "More the knowledge lesser the Ego, lesser the knowledge, more the Ego." (Albert Einstein)
15. "Pride will not owe, self-love will not pay." (François de La Rochefoucauld)
16. "As soon as society is needed only as a means for egoism, everything must become crooked and bad." (Friedrich Schleiermacher)
17. "The world, delivered up to ignorant egoism, is like a valley shrouded in darkness." (Albert Schweitzer)
18. "Self-interest is the enemy of all true affection." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
19. "The life of a cheapskate is a constant exercise of power in the service of the person. He relies only on two feelings: self-love and self-interest." (Honoré de Balzac)
20. "An egotist is a person of low taste – more interested in himself than in me." (Ambrose Bierce)

Tip: Is Nutrition is actually a private matter? Or is it pretty selfish to simply eat whatever you feel like? In the linked article, you can find out why your daily meals can also have consciously accepted consequences for others.

Egoism Quotes 21 - 30

21. "To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others." (Albert Camus)
22. "Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully." (Richard Bach)
23. "The only true source of politeness is consideration." (William Gilmore Simms)
24. "Selfishness is when you only remember a friend if you need something from them." (Unknown)
25. "I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea." (Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky)
26. "Better not to plant seeds of selfishness than try to eradicate them once they have grown into giant weeds." (Prem Prakash)
27. "Egoism is loneliness." (Friedrich von Schiller)
28. "Consideration comes with understanding, and since understanding never comes with some people, consideration cannot be expected from them either." (Wolfgang J. Reus)
29. "Compassion does not contradict egoism. On the contrary, we are glad of the opportunity to prove our friendship and get into the reputation of being sensitive without having to give anything in return." (Blaise Pascal)
30. "Generosity is not always in the right, but stinginess always in the wrong place." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)

Egoism Quotes 31 - 40

31. "We are not in this world to be happy and enjoy, but to do our duty." (Otto von Bismarck)
32. "Selfish people are incapable of loving others, but they are also incapable of loving themselves." (Erich Fromm)
33. "Money only appeals to selfishness and always tempts its owners irresistibly to abuse it." (Albert Einstein)
34. "Hypocrisy is a homage that vice pays to virtue." (François de La Rochefoucauld)
35. "Some people reject a good idea merely because it is not theirs." (Luis Buñuel)
36. "Great achievements usually come from great sacrifices and are never the result of selfishness." (Napoleon Hill)
37. "Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires." (Lao Tzu)
38. "Cheapskates: the plague of their contemporaries, but the delight of their heirs." (Theodor Fontane)
39. "But of all forms of injustice, none is more flagrant than that of the hypocrite who, at the very moment when he is most false, makes it his business to appear virtuous." (Marcus Tullius Cicero)
40. "Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things in life." (James F. Byrnes)

Can you think of any other sayings about ruthlessness, selfishness and self-centeredness that should definitely not be missing from this list? Then always come up with your ideas in the comments!

Use the best quotes about stubborn behavior as a source of personal inspiration!

I'm sure you've had everyday discussions, for example about a sustainable lifestylehave also heard this argument before: "I won't be alive then anyway, and I won't get to see the planet go down." - Creepily selfish, isn't it? Such sentences also confirm that the well-being of your own children and grandchildren means very little to you. Little, or at least much less than your own ego.

Egoists put themselves and their interests first - the interests of others are ignored or buzz around in the background. Let us rather set an example and lead the way with selfless, altruistic and altruistic actions.

Finally, I would like to give you a few suitable, further articles to help you on your way:

• Vegan for human rights
• Quotes about helpfulness
• Cognitive dissonance - what is it?

Do you have any questions, suggestions or other interesting sayings about stubbornness? Then I look forward to your comment.

Stay in solidarity and compassionate,

PS.: "I just love the taste of meat too much!" - is this a logical or rather a selfish argument to justify the consumption of animals? I explain it to you in the linked article.