--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do not merely love ourselves more than…" description: "\"“We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.”\" — Gilbert Keith Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg" --- # We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we… ![“We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.” quote by Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg) > ““We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.”” [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often prioritize personal comfort over duty and joy, revealing a self‑centered bias. **In simple terms:** We love ourselves more than duty or joy. Key Takeaway Reflect on balancing self‑interest with responsibility. Themes ethics self‑interest duty Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - leadership - ethical counseling Key Concepts moral philosophy human motivation Questions to Reflect On - Why do we favor self‑comfort? - How can duty and joy be integrated? A Different Perspective May ignore genuine altruism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [I'm really glad that I'm not Anna because I don't want to be there again. I've been there. But when something does happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-m-really-glad-that-i-m-not-anna-because-i-don-t-want-to-be-there/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [We actually love ourselves more than we love joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/we-actually-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-joy/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Love is the only duty that we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/love-is-the-only-duty-that-we-know/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [When there is love, there is no duty. When you love your wife, you share everything with her-your property, your trouble, your anxiety, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/when-there-is-love-there-is-no-duty-when-you-love-your-wife-you-share/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Duty without love is deplorable. Duty with love is desirable. Love without duty is Divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/duty-without-love-is-deplorable-duty-with-love-is-desirable-love/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [“She had chosen him; she had made him hers. She had done it out of love and duty. -Deming”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/she-had-chosen-him-she-had-made-him-hers-she-had-done-it-out-of-love/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [O hard, when love and duty clash!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/o-hard-when-love-and-duty-clash/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [Youth's the season made for joys, Love is then our duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gay/youth-s-the-season-made-for-joys-love-is-then-our-duty/) [John Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gay/) > [Love can do much, but duty more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/love-can-do-much-but-duty-more/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Mine to the core of the heart, my beauty! Mine, all mine, and for love, not duty: Love given willingly, full and free, Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/mine-to-the-core-of-the-heart-my-beauty-mine-all-mine-and-for-love/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [“When a man and a woman come to an alliance with honour, the knowledge that their future has been written for the benefit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-fielding/when-a-man-and-a-woman-come-to-an-alliance-with-honour-the-knowledge/) Liz Fielding > [“Service is born out of love not duty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-stocker/service-is-born-out-of-love-not-duty/) [Todd Stocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-stocker/) > [The most beautiful sight this earth affords is a man or woman so filled with love that duty is only a name, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/the-most-beautiful-sight-this-earth-affords-is-a-man-or-woman-so/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [Women think of being a man as a gift. It is a duty. Even making love can be a duty. A man has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/women-think-of-being-a-man-as-a-gift-it-is-a-duty-even-making-love/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [If we actually love what we're doing and we go and do what we love, and every day we get up because we're really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-stokes/if-we-actually-love-what-we-re-doing-and-we-go-and-do-what-we-love/) [Kerry Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-stokes/) ## More by Gilbert Keith Chesterton > [Man seems to be capable of great virtues but not of small virtues; capable of defying historturer but not of keeping his temper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/man-seems-to-be-capable-of-great-virtues-but-not-of-small-virtues/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed atall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/the-poor-have-sometimes-objected-to-being-governed-badly-the-rich/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [“A liberal is a noble and indispensable lunatic who tries to make a cosmos of his own head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/a-liberal-is-a-noble-and-indispensable-lunatic-who-tries-to-make-a/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [“The gallows in my garden, people say, Is new and neat and adequately tall; I tie the noose on in a knowing way As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/the-gallows-in-my-garden-people-say-is-new-and-neat-and-adequately/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [“Bigotry consists in a man being convinced that another man must be wrong in everything, because he is wrong in a particular belief; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/bigotry-consists-in-a-man-being-convinced-that-another-man-must-be/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [The man who throws a bombis an artist, because he prefersa great moment to everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/the-man-who-throws-a-bombis-an-artist-because-he-prefersa-great/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [“Men at the close of the dark Ages may have been rude and unlettered and unlearned in everything but wars with heathen tribes, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/men-at-the-close-of-the-dark-ages-may-have-been-rude-and-unlettered/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [“Pokój bez książek to jak ciało bez duszy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/pok-j-bez-ksi-ek-to-jak-cia-o-bez-duszy/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [Nature centres into balls, And her proud ephemerals, Fast to surface and outside, Scan the profile of the sphere; Knew they what that signified,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/nature-centres-into-balls-and-her-proud-ephemerals-fast-to-surface/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) [Explore all 10 Gilbert Keith Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert Keith Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-duty-we-actually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Duty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-duty-we-actually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/037/gilbert-keith-chesterton-42834_duty_we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-tha_440752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.” — Gilbert Keith Chesterton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Gilbert Keith Chesterton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We do not merely love ourselves...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-duty-we-actually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-duty-we-actually/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```