Happiness, so they say, makes one selfish... Alas! this happiness that is in store for some to the detriment of others must make one so, indeed. O my God! Shared happiness, that which one would find by working for the happiness of one's fellow men, would make man as great as his destiny on earth, as good as yourself!

Selfish people are in a way terribly capable of great loves.

अगर हम इतने ज़्यादा स्वार्थी हो जाएँ कि हम सामने वाले से बिना कुछ लिए उसे ज़रा सी ख़ुशी या तारीफ़ भी न दे सकें तो हमारी आत्माएँ सड़े हुए सेब की तरह सिकुड़ चुकी हैं और हमें निश्चित रूप से असफल हो जाना चाहिए।

If we are selfish and we feel cranky, then we believe that nobody has the right to be happy around us.

we often become our kindest, most ethical selves only by seeing what it feels like to be selfish assholes first.

Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.

Is it not enough that we cannot make one another happy, must we also rob one another of the pleasures that any heart may permit itself now and then? And name me a person who in a bad mood will be decent enough to hide it, to bear it alone, without destroying the joy around him. Is it not rather an inner dissatisfaction with our own unworthiness, a dislike of ourselves that is always associated with envy aggravated by foolish conceit? We see people happy and not made happy by us, and that is unbearable.

Dear soul, don't set a high value on someone before they deserve it; You either lose them or ruin yourself...!

To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.

we have one weakness that, considering our political maturity as a nation, is rather immature. We continue to expect the world to be grateful to us and to love us. We are hurt and indignant when we do not receive gratitude and love. Gratitude and love are not to be had for the asking; they are not to be bought. We should not want to think that they are for sale. What we should seek, rather than gratitude or love, is the respect of the world. This we can earn by enlightened justice. But it is rather naïve of us to think that when we are helping people our action is entirely unselfish. It is not. It is not unselfish when we vaccinate the public against smallpox. It is a precautionary measure, but nonetheless good in itself. Other nations are quite aware that when we try to bolster up their economy and strengthen their governments and generally help them to succeed there is a certain amount of self-interest involved.

...no matter how avid they themselves may be for praise and appreciation, people are often niggardly in giving it to others, however merited it is.

We give everything to someone who just won’t match our efforts and willingness to try. We empty our love bank to make them feel wealthier, while we become broke. We give ourselves up to someone who doesn’t respect us enough to treat us well in return.

Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.

In the track of love, you are giving more than taking. And of course, you love yourself so much that you don’t allow selfish people to take advantage of you. You are not going for revenge, but you are clear in your communication. You can say, “I don’t like it when you try to take advantage of me, when you disrespect me, when you are unkind to me. I don’t need someone to abuse me verbally, emotionally, physically. I don’t need to hear you cursing all the time. It’s not that I am better than you; it’s because I love beauty. I love to laugh; I love to have fun; I love to love. It’s not that I am selfish, I just don’t need a big victim near me. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, but I cannot take responsibility for your dream. If you are in a relationship with me, it will be so hard for your Parasite, because I will not react to your garbage at all.” This is not selfishness; this is self-love. Selfishness, control, and fear will break almost any relationship. Generosity, freedom, and love will create the most beautiful relationship: an ongoing romance.