The beginning of self-knowledge: recognizing that your…

You can drive yourself crazy trying to peer into a person's soul--or you can do the sensible thing: ask not what inner motives drive…

— Paul Begala

Behind many acts that are thought ridiculous there lie wise and weighty motives.

— Francois de La Rochefoucauld

It is hard to work for years with pure motives, and all the time be looked upon by most of those to whom our…

— David Livingstone

“People have motives, what they are, is what you need to notice.”

— S.D. Walker

“It is usual to explain the motivation of those who enjoy dangerous activities as some sort of pathological need: they are trying to exorcise…

— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, most people are motivated by unconscious motives most of the time.

— Anonymous

“motives are like little flies flying around in my room. I believe I've killed most of them”

— Dmitry Dyatlov

I never desire to know anything of the detail of political measures, lest even those which I think best should lose anything of their…

— Fanny Kemble

Relationships, for me, have been elusive. And I would say mostly it's been my fault. I was always more concentrated on my career. And…

— Nathan Lane

“how could I have been so naive before, thinking perhaps everyone had good motives, that everyone has a good side to them, even though…

— Lotus Rose

“Maybe sometimes the motive behind people’s terrorizing acts isn’t just because of their beliefs or past or some complex and twisted logic. Sometimes their…

— David Torres

“This was what growing up was about: hide the corpse, don't bare your heart, do make assumptions about the motives of others. They're certainly…

— Abraham Verghese

“Art needs motives that are more profound than profit if it is to maintain its difference from—and position above—other cultural forms.”

— Sarah Thornton

Get to know two things about a man. How he earns his money and how he spends it. You will then have the clue…

— Robert McCracken

I have always examined closely the motives of any group for which I am asked to raise money.

— Kate Smith