--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human beings are selfish by nature…" description: "\"Human beings are selfish by nature. Everything that happens to a child, you immediately grab your own child and say, \"I will never let that happen to y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/john-darnielle-2176_children_human-beings-are-selfish-by-nature-every_938076.png" --- # Human beings are selfish by nature. Everything that… ![“Human beings are selfish by nature. Everything that happens to a child, you immediately grab your own child and say, "I will never let that happen to you."” quote by John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/john-darnielle-2176_children_human-beings-are-selfish-by-nature-every_938076.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/john-darnielle-2176_children_human-beings-are-selfish-by-nature-every_938076.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/john-darnielle-2176_children_human-beings-are-selfish-by-nature-every_938076.png) > “Human beings are selfish by nature. Everything that happens to a child, you immediately grab your own child and say, "I will never let that happen to you."” [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans instinctively protect their own, seeing the world through a self‑centered lens. **In simple terms:** People prioritize their own children over others. Key Takeaway Recognize bias and expand empathy beyond kin. Themes selfishness protectiveness bias Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - parenting - policy making - team leadership - charitable work Key Concepts evolutionary psychology in‑group favoritism Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance personal concern with universal compassion? - What structures reduce favoritism? A Different Perspective Self‑interest can hinder collective welfare. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness/) ## Related quotes > [Capitalism justified itself and was adopted as an economic principle on the express ground that it provides selfish motives for doing good, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/capitalism-justified-itself-and-was-adopted-as-an-economic-principle/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [From this it follows that con-sideration for other persons or for other living beings is very vital for goodness and want of consideration for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morarji-desai/from-this-it-follows-that-con-sideration-for-other-persons-or-for/) [Morarji Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morarji-desai/) > [“Don't be selfish, even nature knows how to share their treasures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teana74/don-t-be-selfish-even-nature-knows-how-to-share-their-treasures/) [teana74](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teana74/) > [Every person is selfish by nature, we should understand it, otherwise for whole life, we will blame people for selfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-person-is-selfish-by-nature-we-should-understand-it-otherwise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All sensible people are selfish, and nature is tugging at every contract to make the terms of it fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/all-sensible-people-are-selfish-and-nature-is-tugging-at-every/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Living as I do with human beings, the more that I observe them, the more I am forced to conclude that they are selfish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/living-as-i-do-with-human-beings-the-more-that-i-observe-them-the/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. 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