Selfishness is a behavioral pattern in which an individual consistently prioritizes their own needs, desires, and interests over the well-being and rights of others, often disregarding the impact of their actions on those around them. However, being a little selfish is okay. Choosing to prioritize your own mental, emotional, and physical health is not selfish in a negative way; it is necessary. If you do not take care of your own needs, you eventually run out of the energy and resources required to support the people around you. May these selfishness quotes offer you insights to remind you of the damage caused by manipulation, unmet expectations, and conditional love, while also empowering you to set boundaries and prioritize your own well-being.
1. “Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles.” – Harry S. Truman
2. “The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people.” – Chadwick Boseman
3. “Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves.” – Stephen Kendrick
4. “We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness, and selfishness.” – Booker T. Washington
5. “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
6. “Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt.” – William Cowper
7. “Intensely selfish people are always very decided as to what they wish. They do not waste their energies in considering the good of others.” – Ouida
8. “Suppose you were the last one left? Suppose you did that to yourself?” – Cormac McCarthy
9. “Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.” – Richard Bach
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10. “A selfless act out of even the purest desire to do for others, will be selfish in the satisfaction and happiness it brings to one doing it.” – Ashly Lorenzana
11. “The subsistence mentality of a person is a prison in which his personal joy is detained. If you want to live in joy, you don't live for yourself alone. Live for others too.” – Israelmore Ayivor
12. “In an individual, selfishness uglifies the soul; for the human species, selfishness is extinction.” – David Mitchell
13. “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.” – William E. Gladstone
14. “Even the early droplets of selfish decisions suggest a direction. Then the little inflecting rivulets come, merging into small brooks and soon into larger streams; finally one is swept along by a vast river which flows into the gulf of misery and endless whoa.” – Neal A. Maxwell
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15. “Selfish, a judgment readily passed by those who have never tested their power of sacrifice.” – George Eliot
16. “No man is more cheated than the selfish man.” – Henry Ward Beecher
17. “It's way too easy to see the real face of a person. They're amiable and full of pretense when they want something from you, but the minute you don't give in, back away or put yourself first, as they do, is the minute they show you who they are.” – Donna Lynn Hope
18. “A man is nothing more than the things he does to get what he wants.” – Hal Ackerman
19. “Better not to plant seeds of selfishness than try to eradicate them once they have grown into giant weeds.” – Prem Prakash
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20. “Love is the most selfish of all the passions.” – Alexandre Dumas
21. “Just two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self.” – Ken Collier
22. “I respect all the innocent souls because they are kind enough to forgive the selfish people around them.” – Saurabh Sharma
23. “There seemed to be three choices: to give up trying to love anyone, to stop being selfish, or to learn to love a person while continuing to be selfish.” – Lydia Davis
24. “Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.” – Erich Fromm
-min.jpg "Selfish people quotes and dealing with them")
25. “You can't be faulted for being selfish if you're going to get better because of it.” – Jerry Lewis
26. “Selfish people try to keep or get things but they lose people.” – Hannah Garrison
27. “When you work together in a creative way, you have to be less selfish about your ideas and learn to let both parties feel valued. Of course, that's also a really great quality to have in a relationship, too.” – St. Lucia
28. “But selfish isn't necessarily a bad thing. It only means you take care of yourself and you have to do that to be able to take care of others.” – Tera Lynn Childs
29. “You are too full of your own hopes to hold anyone else's.” – Joe Abercrombie
30. “Everyone is the most important person in the world to themselves.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
More Best Selfish People Quotes and Sayings
31. “We all of us need to be toppled off the throne of self. Perched up there the tears of others are never upon our own cheek.” – Elizabeth Goudge
32. “It's not my job to make you happy. It's your job to learn that only those who quit selfishly seeking their own happiness find it.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
33. “Selfishness is the most unattractive virtue a mortal can possess.” – Suyasha Subedi
34. “Everyone wants to help the world, but first and foremost everyone wants to help oneself.” – Maria Karvouni
35. “Each one lives, waving selfishness; indeed, it is human nature; whereas, one's motives exhibit its frame of mind and character, not nature.” – Ehsan Sehgal
36. “If you want to be a generous giver, you have to watch out for selfish takers.” – Adam Grant
37. “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
38. “A focus on self-preservation is a choice for self-destruction.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
39. “It is interesting how the selfish, the ignorant, and the constantly angry all tend to be the same person.” – Wayne Gerard Trotman
40. “Self-interest is healthy to a certain extent, but beyond that it only brings conflicts and primitiveness in the world.” – Abhijit Naskar
41. “In order to be happy, one must first let go of all pettiness and selfish attachments.” – Dee Waldeck
42. “Selfishness at the expense of others is bad. Self-care for the betterment of others is good.” – Richie Norton
43. “If I am selfish I might have achieved great things, but achieving great things out of my selfishness is one of the most devastating ways I can think of to fail.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
44. “Selfishness may result in one's sense of superiority, but life as such will surely deny them.” – Eraldo Banovac
45. “The best weapon for selfishness is selfishness for the cause of others.” – Enock Maregesi
46. “Being selfish to me means that you have to look out for yourself and you don't have to sacrifice.” – Herbie Mann
47. “You have this one life. If you keep being selfish and unkind, it's going to come back to you.” – Clemantine Wamariya
48. “A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's.” – Richard Whately
49. “Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure's sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.” – John Henry Newman
50. “You can’t expect to have a deep relationship with a shallow person.” – Doe Zantamata
51. “Selfishness comes from poverty in the heart, from the belief that love is not abundant.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
52. “We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive.” – Lord Byron
53. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
54. “Selfish people tend to only be good to themselves and then are surprised when they are alone.” – Steve Maraboli
55. “Sometimes in life, you have to make a selfish decision and do what's best for you.” – Saquon Barkley
56. “We are selfish but be wise selfish rather than foolish, self-sided selfish.” – Dalai Lama
57. “There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.” – Abbie Hoffman
58. “It's good to be selfish. But not so self-centered that you never listen to other people.” – Hugh Hefner
59. “To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate.” – Michael Jordan
60. “If believing in yourself and going after what you want in life and realising your worth is ruthless and selfish, then I'm definitely ruthless and selfish.” – Nicole Scherzinger
61. “All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction.” – Dalai Lama
62. “Be selfish enough to have self-love, self-worth and self-respect.” – Anonymous
63. “Sometimes you have to be selfish to be selfless.” – Edward Albert
64. “Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.” – Richard Dawkins
65. “Love is the highest act of selfishness, the best gift you can give to yourself.” – Bernard Werber
66. “It's hard to get people to overcome the thought that they have to take care of themselves first. It's hard to get players to give in to the group and become selfless as opposed to selfish.” – Isaiah Thomas
67. “Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to light.” – Rumi
68. “Sometimes you just need to be selfish and take care of yourself. If they love you, they’ll understand.” – Robert Tew
69. “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.” – Andrew Jackson
70. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much because if you sacrifice too much, there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.” – Karl Lagerfeld
71. “A person involved with himself makes a very small package.” – John Ruskin
72. “Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.” – Jane Austen
73. “Some people create their own storm and then get mad when it rains on everyone else.” – Anonymous
74. “A selfish man doesn't care if his best friend drowns beside him.” – Joe Cervantes
75. “Don’t spend too much time with self-centered people, because they just steal your joy!” – Mary Hamilton
76. “Selfishness is the root and source of all natural and moral evils.” – Nathaniel Emmons
Share these Famous Quotes about Self-Centered People with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.
2. “The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people.” – Chadwick Boseman
3. “Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves.” – Stephen Kendrick
4. “We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness, and selfishness.” – Booker T. Washington
5. “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
6. “Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt.” – William Cowper
7. “Intensely selfish people are always very decided as to what they wish. They do not waste their energies in considering the good of others.” – Ouida
8. “Suppose you were the last one left? Suppose you did that to yourself?” – Cormac McCarthy
9. “Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.” – Richard Bach
11. “The subsistence mentality of a person is a prison in which his personal joy is detained. If you want to live in joy, you don't live for yourself alone. Live for others too.” – Israelmore Ayivor
12. “In an individual, selfishness uglifies the soul; for the human species, selfishness is extinction.” – David Mitchell
13. “Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race.” – William E. Gladstone
14. “Even the early droplets of selfish decisions suggest a direction. Then the little inflecting rivulets come, merging into small brooks and soon into larger streams; finally one is swept along by a vast river which flows into the gulf of misery and endless whoa.” – Neal A. Maxwell
16. “No man is more cheated than the selfish man.” – Henry Ward Beecher
17. “It's way too easy to see the real face of a person. They're amiable and full of pretense when they want something from you, but the minute you don't give in, back away or put yourself first, as they do, is the minute they show you who they are.” – Donna Lynn Hope
18. “A man is nothing more than the things he does to get what he wants.” – Hal Ackerman
19. “Better not to plant seeds of selfishness than try to eradicate them once they have grown into giant weeds.” – Prem Prakash
21. “Just two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self.” – Ken Collier
22. “I respect all the innocent souls because they are kind enough to forgive the selfish people around them.” – Saurabh Sharma
23. “There seemed to be three choices: to give up trying to love anyone, to stop being selfish, or to learn to love a person while continuing to be selfish.” – Lydia Davis
24. “Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.” – Erich Fromm
26. “Selfish people try to keep or get things but they lose people.” – Hannah Garrison
27. “When you work together in a creative way, you have to be less selfish about your ideas and learn to let both parties feel valued. Of course, that's also a really great quality to have in a relationship, too.” – St. Lucia
28. “But selfish isn't necessarily a bad thing. It only means you take care of yourself and you have to do that to be able to take care of others.” – Tera Lynn Childs
29. “You are too full of your own hopes to hold anyone else's.” – Joe Abercrombie
30. “Everyone is the most important person in the world to themselves.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
More Best Selfish People Quotes and Sayings
31. “We all of us need to be toppled off the throne of self. Perched up there the tears of others are never upon our own cheek.” – Elizabeth Goudge
32. “It's not my job to make you happy. It's your job to learn that only those who quit selfishly seeking their own happiness find it.” – Richelle E. Goodrich
33. “Selfishness is the most unattractive virtue a mortal can possess.” – Suyasha Subedi
34. “Everyone wants to help the world, but first and foremost everyone wants to help oneself.” – Maria Karvouni
35. “Each one lives, waving selfishness; indeed, it is human nature; whereas, one's motives exhibit its frame of mind and character, not nature.” – Ehsan Sehgal
36. “If you want to be a generous giver, you have to watch out for selfish takers.” – Adam Grant
37. “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
38. “A focus on self-preservation is a choice for self-destruction.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
39. “It is interesting how the selfish, the ignorant, and the constantly angry all tend to be the same person.” – Wayne Gerard Trotman
40. “Self-interest is healthy to a certain extent, but beyond that it only brings conflicts and primitiveness in the world.” – Abhijit Naskar
41. “In order to be happy, one must first let go of all pettiness and selfish attachments.” – Dee Waldeck
42. “Selfishness at the expense of others is bad. Self-care for the betterment of others is good.” – Richie Norton
43. “If I am selfish I might have achieved great things, but achieving great things out of my selfishness is one of the most devastating ways I can think of to fail.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough
44. “Selfishness may result in one's sense of superiority, but life as such will surely deny them.” – Eraldo Banovac
45. “The best weapon for selfishness is selfishness for the cause of others.” – Enock Maregesi
46. “Being selfish to me means that you have to look out for yourself and you don't have to sacrifice.” – Herbie Mann
47. “You have this one life. If you keep being selfish and unkind, it's going to come back to you.” – Clemantine Wamariya
48. “A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's.” – Richard Whately
49. “Virtue is its own reward, and brings with it the truest and highest pleasure; but if we cultivate it only for pleasure's sake, we are selfish, not religious, and will never gain the pleasure, because we can never have the virtue.” – John Henry Newman
50. “You can’t expect to have a deep relationship with a shallow person.” – Doe Zantamata
51. “Selfishness comes from poverty in the heart, from the belief that love is not abundant.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
52. “We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive.” – Lord Byron
53. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
54. “Selfish people tend to only be good to themselves and then are surprised when they are alone.” – Steve Maraboli
55. “Sometimes in life, you have to make a selfish decision and do what's best for you.” – Saquon Barkley
56. “We are selfish but be wise selfish rather than foolish, self-sided selfish.” – Dalai Lama
57. “There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.” – Abbie Hoffman
58. “It's good to be selfish. But not so self-centered that you never listen to other people.” – Hugh Hefner
59. “To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate.” – Michael Jordan
60. “If believing in yourself and going after what you want in life and realising your worth is ruthless and selfish, then I'm definitely ruthless and selfish.” – Nicole Scherzinger
61. “All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction.” – Dalai Lama
62. “Be selfish enough to have self-love, self-worth and self-respect.” – Anonymous
63. “Sometimes you have to be selfish to be selfless.” – Edward Albert
64. “Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.” – Richard Dawkins
65. “Love is the highest act of selfishness, the best gift you can give to yourself.” – Bernard Werber
66. “It's hard to get people to overcome the thought that they have to take care of themselves first. It's hard to get players to give in to the group and become selfless as opposed to selfish.” – Isaiah Thomas
67. “Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to light.” – Rumi
68. “Sometimes you just need to be selfish and take care of yourself. If they love you, they’ll understand.” – Robert Tew
69. “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.” – Andrew Jackson
70. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much because if you sacrifice too much, there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.” – Karl Lagerfeld
71. “A person involved with himself makes a very small package.” – John Ruskin
72. “Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.” – Jane Austen
73. “Some people create their own storm and then get mad when it rains on everyone else.” – Anonymous
74. “A selfish man doesn't care if his best friend drowns beside him.” – Joe Cervantes
75. “Don’t spend too much time with self-centered people, because they just steal your joy!” – Mary Hamilton
76. “Selfishness is the root and source of all natural and moral evils.” – Nathaniel Emmons
Share these Famous Quotes about Self-Centered People with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.