--- title: "13 Self Interested Quotes by 12 authors" description: "Browse 13 Self Interested quotes by 12 authors. Discover the best Self Interested sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png" --- > [“The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a-dick/) [Dan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harris/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png) > [People in government are self-interested just like people in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/people-in-government-are-self-interested-just-like-people-in-business/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/david-boaz-23767_business_people-in-government-are-self-interested_531584.png) > [To know when one's self is interested, is the first condition of interesting other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is-the-first-condition-of/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/walter-pater-9808_conditions_to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is_2860674.jpg) > [“Chapter 10 The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a-dick/) [Dan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harris/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/679/dan-harris-7769_self_chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for_1695484.png) > [There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/there-is-a-difference-between-being-self-interested-and-being-selfish/) [Abbie Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-hoffman/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/abbie-hoffman-9684_being_there-is-a-difference-between-being-self_1269015.png) > [I guess because I'm a liberal I think it's not people's natural instinct to be completely self-interested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it-s-not-people-s-natural/) [Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/matthew-weiner-12881_because_i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it_349627.jpg) > [I'm just shallow and self-interested, and don't get out much because I'm afraid of real commitments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and-don-t-get-out-much-because-i/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/henry-rollins-170_commitment_i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and_2689800.png) > [I really love being in postproduction. First of all, it's all quite self-interested: You can protect things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-first-of-all-it-s-all-quite/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-fi_1995998.png) > [If the sad truth be known, writers, being the misfits we are, probably ought not to belong to families in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being-the-misfits-we-are-probably/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/roger-rosenblatt-13478_being_if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being_549609.png) > [“If you never sit still, it does not even hint to that deeper self in you that you are interested. By practice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even-hint-to-that-deeper-self-in/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/natalie-goldberg-1741_life_if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even_607497.png) > [We all need a story. It just turns out that the story we have been told for years - that people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mayo/we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-that-the-story-we-have-been/) [Ed Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mayo/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/ed-mayo-68897_bleak_we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-th_1902494.jpg) > [I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-what-i-m-doing-is-self/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/edward-snowden-555_because_i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-wha_2781408.jpg) > [I AM (your true self) is not interested in man’s opinion. All its interest lies in your conviction of yourself. What do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in-man-s-opinion-all-its/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/neville-goddard-3262_answers_i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in_2228851.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/#itemlist", "name": "Self Interested Quotes", "numberOfItems": 13, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Harris" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a-dick/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick” — Dan Harris", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People in government are self-interested just like people in business.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Boaz" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/people-in-government-are-self-interested-just-like-people-in-business/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/david-boaz-23767_business_people-in-government-are-self-interested_531584.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/david-boaz-23767_business_people-in-government-are-self-interested_531584.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/david-boaz-23767_business_people-in-government-are-self-interested_531584.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People in government are self-interested just like people in business.” — David Boaz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To know when one's self is interested, is the first condition of interesting other people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Pater" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is-the-first-condition-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/walter-pater-9808_conditions_to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is_2860674.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/walter-pater-9808_conditions_to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is_2860674.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/walter-pater-9808_conditions_to-know-when-one-s-self-is-interested-is_2860674.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To know when one's self is interested, is the first condition of interesting other people.” — Walter Pater", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Chapter 10 The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Harris" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a-dick/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/679/dan-harris-7769_self_chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for_1695484.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/679/dan-harris-7769_self_chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for_1695484.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/679/dan-harris-7769_self_chapter-10-the-self-interested-case-for_1695484.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Chapter 10 The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick” — Dan Harris", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abbie Hoffman" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/there-is-a-difference-between-being-self-interested-and-being-selfish/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/abbie-hoffman-9684_being_there-is-a-difference-between-being-self_1269015.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/abbie-hoffman-9684_being_there-is-a-difference-between-being-self_1269015.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fb/abbie-hoffman-9684_being_there-is-a-difference-between-being-self_1269015.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a difference between being self-interested and being selfish. I will never be selfish.” — Abbie Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I guess because I'm a liberal I think it's not people's natural instinct to be completely self-interested.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Weiner" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it-s-not-people-s-natural/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/matthew-weiner-12881_because_i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it_349627.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/matthew-weiner-12881_because_i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it_349627.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/matthew-weiner-12881_because_i-guess-because-i-m-a-liberal-i-think-it_349627.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I guess because I'm a liberal I think it's not people's natural instinct to be completely self-interested.” — Matthew Weiner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm just shallow and self-interested, and don't get out much because I'm afraid of real commitments.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Rollins" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and-don-t-get-out-much-because-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/henry-rollins-170_commitment_i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and_2689800.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/henry-rollins-170_commitment_i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and_2689800.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/henry-rollins-170_commitment_i-m-just-shallow-and-self-interested-and_2689800.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm just shallow and self-interested, and don't get out much because I'm afraid of real commitments.” — Henry Rollins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really love being in postproduction. First of all, it's all quite self-interested: You can protect things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Stoppard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-first-of-all-it-s-all-quite/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-fi_1995998.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-fi_1995998.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/tom-stoppard-437_firsts_i-really-love-being-in-postproduction-fi_1995998.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I really love being in postproduction. First of all, it's all quite self-interested: You can protect things.” — Tom Stoppard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the sad truth be known, writers, being the misfits we are, probably ought not to belong to families in the first place. We simply are too self-interested, though we may excuse the flaw by calling it 'focused.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Rosenblatt" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being-the-misfits-we-are-probably/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/roger-rosenblatt-13478_being_if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being_549609.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/roger-rosenblatt-13478_being_if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being_549609.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/roger-rosenblatt-13478_being_if-the-sad-truth-be-known-writers-being_549609.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the sad truth be known, writers, being the misfits we are, probably ought not to belong to families in…” — Roger Rosenblatt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you never sit still, it does not even hint to that deeper self in you that you are interested. By practice, by showing up, we are signaling that deep motor, that hum of life, that we are ready: Help us. Pay attention and lead us out of our confusion.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even-hint-to-that-deeper-self-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/natalie-goldberg-1741_life_if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even_607497.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/natalie-goldberg-1741_life_if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even_607497.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/natalie-goldberg-1741_life_if-you-never-sit-still-it-does-not-even_607497.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you never sit still, it does not even hint to that deeper self in you that you are interested. By…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We all need a story. It just turns out that the story we have been told for years - that people are naturally and primarily competitive and self-interested and that life is best shaped around that bleak fact - is bunkum", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ed Mayo" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mayo/we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-that-the-story-we-have-been/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/ed-mayo-68897_bleak_we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-th_1902494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/ed-mayo-68897_bleak_we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-th_1902494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/ed-mayo-68897_bleak_we-all-need-a-story-it-just-turns-out-th_1902494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We all need a story. It just turns out that the story we have been told for years - that people are…” — Ed Mayo", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Snowden" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-what-i-m-doing-is-self/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/edward-snowden-555_because_i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-wha_2781408.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/edward-snowden-555_because_i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-wha_2781408.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/edward-snowden-555_because_i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-hero-because-wha_2781408.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't see myself as a hero because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world…” — Edward Snowden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I AM (your true self) is not interested in man’s opinion. All its interest lies in your conviction of yourself. What do you say of the I AM within you? Can you answer and say, “I AM Christ”? Your answer or degree of understanding will determine the place you will occupy in life. Do you say or believe yourself to be a man of a certain family, race, nation, etc.? Do you honestly believe this of yourself? Then life, your true self, will cause these conceptions to appear in your world and you will live with them as though they are real.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neville Goddard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in-man-s-opinion-all-its/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/neville-goddard-3262_answers_i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in_2228851.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/neville-goddard-3262_answers_i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in_2228851.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/neville-goddard-3262_answers_i-am-your-true-self-is-not-interested-in_2228851.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I AM (your true self) is not interested in man’s opinion. All its interest lies in your conviction of…” — Neville Goddard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/", "name": "Self Interested Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0f/dan-harris-7769_interested_the-self-interested-case-for-not-being-a_1653696.png" }, "description": "Browse 13 Self Interested quotes by 12 authors. Discover the best Self Interested sayings and thoughts.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Self Interested Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interested/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```