Sense of entitlement Quote by Aaron James

“of view, may show that he is not getting the respect he deserves. Although our theory is a definition of the term “asshole,” we…

— Aaron James

“Fully cooperative people, we may say, see themselves as equals, as having grounds for special treatment only in special circumstances that others will equally…

— Aaron James

“and third things a theory of assholes should explain are related and must be handled with greater care. The second thing to explain is…

— Aaron James

“To summarize, then, our three requirements for a good theory of assholes are as follows. We are looking for (1) a stable trait of…

— Aaron James

“That is why otherwise coolheaded people fall into a fit of rage or lash out at the asshole: they are fighting to be recognized.”

— Aaron James

“According to Rousseau, healthy self-love does not require comparing oneself to others at all; feeling worthy does not necessarily involve feeling superior to someone.…

— Aaron James

“The asshole not only takes special privileges but refuses to listen when people complain.”

— Aaron James

“However misguided, the asshole is morally motivated. He is fundamentally different from the psychopath, who either lacks or fails to engage moral concepts, and…

— Aaron James

“The asshole is not just another annoying person but a deeply bothersome person—bothersome enough to trigger feelings of powerlessness, fear, or rage.”

— Aaron James

“one of our basic moral responsibilities is to hear people out, to at least take seriously the reasons they give for wanting to be…

— Aaron James

“The asshole, by contrast, traffics in and is moved by moral justification—except that moral justification, for him, leads to an entrenched sense of special…

— Aaron James

“The key is to understand why we are easily tempted to fight on the asshole’s terms: we are fighting for moral recognition in his…

— Aaron James