Self

"And, for the largest-hearted of us, what is the word we write most often in our cheque-books? "Self.""

"The only reason why we are always thinking of our own ego is that we have to live with it more continuously than with anyone else's."

"Selfishness is the making a man's self his own centre, the beginning and end of all he doth."

"“If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life.” That is to say, all men who live only according to their five senses, and seek nothing beyond the gratification of their natural appetites for pleasure and reputation and power, cut themselves off from that charity which is the principle of all spiritual vitality and happiness because it alone saves us from the barren wilderness of our own abominable selfishness."

"Most people are indifferent, unless their self-interest is at stake. Then there are the chronic complainers."

"The main causes of disharmony are based on selfishness, possessiveness, intolerance, separativeness and the lack of love... The main underlying principle [of goodwill and right human relations] is that man should be taught to relinquish the purely selfish attitude, and to develop the altruistic outlook, which is a soul quality, and therefore lies dormant in each and every man, and only needs awakening."

"Where all are selfish, the sage is no better than the fool, and only rather more dangerous."

"Selfishness and demagoguery take advantage of liberty. The selfish hand constantly seeks to control government, and every increase of governmental power, even to meet just needs, furnishes opportunity for abuse and stimulates the effort to bend it to improper uses."

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."

"We must annihilate the feelings of "I - ness" and "my - ness" from our minds. You must march forward like a soldier, dutifully and bravely. The thing which brings man down is "attachment" to his own kith and kin. When all belong to this whole universe, where is the place for "I" and "mine"?"

"The deva asked, What causes ruin in the world? What breaks off friendships? What is the most violent fever? Who is the best physician?" The Blessed One replied, Ruin in the world is caused by ignorance; friendships are broken off by envy and selfishness; the most violent fever is hatred; the best physician is the Buddha."

"There can be no Good Will. Will is always Evil; it is persecution to others or selfishness."

"SELFISH, adj. Devoid of consideration for the selfishness of others."

"For too long in this society, we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over common community. For too long as a nation, we have been lulled by the anthem of self-interest."

"Extreme self-lovers will set a man's house on fire, though it were but to roast their eggs."

"To observations which ourselves we make, We grow more partial for th' observer's sake."

"L'amour-propre offensé ne pardonne jamais."

"I am the most concerned in my own interests."

"Je recule Ébloui de me voir moi même tout vermeil Et d'avoir, moi, le coq, fait élever le soleil."

"Et sonnant d'avance sa victoire, Mon chant jaillit si net, si fier, si peremptoire, Que l'horizon, saisi d'un rose tremblement, M'obéit."

"Without doubt I can teach crowing: for I gobble."

"Sans doute Je peux apprendre à coqueriquer: je glougloute."

"But respect yourself most of all."

"Le moi est haïssable."

"Voyez le beau rendez-vous qu'il me donne; cet homme là n'a jamais aimé que lui-même."

"Self-love is the greatest of all flatterers."

"A gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference to the claims of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from them."

"Wer sich nicht zu viel dünkt ist viel mehr als er glaubt."

"He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow."

"It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you truly love others. It's only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others. When you feel centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better person."

"Self-love for ever creeps out, like a snake, to sting anything which happens to stumble upon it."

"This self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind:—it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must conceal it."

"I to myself am dearer than a friend."

"O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times seven years; and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefit and an injury, I never found man that knew how to love himself."

"Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin As self-neglecting."

"Ofttimes nothing profits more Than self-esteem, grounded on just and right Well manag'd."

"Since the world does not really believe in God, in the long run the God-fearing person must really love himself. The God-fearing person does not love what the world loves, but then what is left—God and himself. The world takes God away, and therefore the God-fearing person loves himself. The world regards the fear of God as self-love."

"Now, so far as I can judge, self-love is the root of all evil;"

"Self-love is a principle of action; but among no class of human beings has nature so profusely distributed this principle of life and action as through the whole sensitive family of genius."

"Self-love We have reached a point where no one loves anyone as everyone is running after one thing, which is their own interest If the interest ends love melts away When the interest ends love becomes a lie and hypocrisy It is the age of interests and appearances In every human relationship, you find deception and betrayal Hearts have become dry and feelings are fake, with no honesty or sincerity In the past love was spontaneous and sincere but today it is conditional on interests and material things It is rare to find someone who loves you for yourself and sacrifices for you without expecting anything in return. We live in a time when we wait for a respectable person to make mistakes so that we can prove to people that he is not respectful. Some people are like perfume you like its scent but it does not last long O Allah the Changer of hearts make our hearts firm upon your religion and make our hearts pure and sincere sincere for your sake.~~ March 21, 2025"

"Let not soft slumber close your eyes, Before you've collected thrice The train of action through the day! Where have my feet chose out their way? What have I learnt, where'er I've been, From all I've heard, from all I've seen? What have I more that's worth the knowing? What have I done that's worth the doing? What have I sought that I should shun? What duty have I left undone, Or into what new follies run? These self-inquiries are the road That lead to virtue and to God."

"Summe up at night what thou hast done by day; And in the morning what thou hast to do. Dresse and undresse thy soul; mark the decay And growth of it; if, with thy watch, that too Be down then winde up both; since we shall be Most surely judg'd, make thy accounts agree."

"'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours; And ask them what report they bore to heaven: And how they might have borne more welcome news."

"There is a luxury in self-dispraise; And inward self-disparagement affords To meditative spleen a grateful feast."

"There are many subtle but easily overlooked forms of ego that you may observe in other people and, more important, in yourself. Remember: The moment you become aware of the ego in yourself, that emerging awareness is who you are beyond ego, the deeper “I.” The recognition of the false is already the arising of the real. For example, you are about to tell someone the news of what happened. “Guess what? You don't know yet? Let me tell you.” If you are alert enough, present enough, you may be able to detect a momentary sense of satisfaction within yourself just before imparting the news, even if it is bad news. It is due to the fact that for a brief moment there is, in the eyes of the ego, an imbalance in your favor between you and the other person. For that brief moment, you know more than the other. The satisfaction that you feel is of the ego, and it is derived from feeling a stronger sense of self relative to the other person. p. 52"

"When the ego is at war, know that it is no more than an illusion that is fighting to survive. That illusion thinks it is you. It is not easy at first to be there as the witnessing Presence, especially when the ego is in survival mode or some emotional pattern from the past has become activated, but once you have had a taste of it, you will grow in Presence power, and the ego will lose its grip on you. And so a power comes into your life that is far greater than the ego, greater than the mind. All that is required to become free of the ego is to be aware of it, since awareness and ego are incompatible. Awareness is the power that is concealed within the present moment. This is why we may also call it Presence. The ultimate purpose of human existence, which is to say, your purpose is to bring that power into this world. And this is also why becoming free of the ego cannot be made into a goal to be attained at some point in the future. Only Presence can free you of the ego, and you can only be present Now, not yesterday or tomorrow. only Presence can undo the past in you and thus transform your state of consciousness. p. 50"

"“I am bored.” Who knows this?"

"Be present as the watcher of your mind."

"Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something that is not of the mind: the witnessing presence."

"When you listen to a thought, you are aware not only of the thought but also of yourself as the witness of the thought. A new dimension of consciousness has come in."