--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People, for reasons of their own, often…" description: "\"People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.\" — John Roberts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png" --- # People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things… ![“People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.” quote by John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png) > “People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.” [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) ## 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 avoid actions that benefit themselves or society due to personal reasons. **In simple terms:** Self‑interest or inertia blocks good deeds. Key Takeaway Identify and overcome personal barriers. Themes self‑sabotage social responsibility motivation Mood reflective serious motivational Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - volunteering - healthy habits - environmental actions Key Concepts behavioral economics ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What internal excuses hold you back? - How can society encourage beneficial actions? A Different Perspective External pressures can also inhibit good behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society. Those failures -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fail-to-do-things-that-would-be-2/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [I had to work at it - audition and fail, get things and lose others. If you really want something, you keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/i-had-to-work-at-it-audition-and-fail-get-things-and-lose-others-if/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [Stop looking for reasons you might fail and start looking for ways you can succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-looking-for-reasons-you-might-fail-and-start-looking-for-ways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In countries where there are no racial differences or no religious differences, people find other reasons to set aside one certain group of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-countries-where-there-are-no-racial-differences-or-no-religious/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“People have their reasons for the damnedest things in my experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/people-have-their-reasons-for-the-damnedest-things-in-my-experience/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Hmmm! people have reasons to b mad!! but I have with me since I was born! now what shud I call it!! u have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sardar-hyder-abbas/hmmm-people-have-reasons-to-b-mad-but-i-have-with-me-since-i-was-born/) [Sardar Hyder Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sardar-hyder-abbas/) > [Think about it, you rarely fail for the things you do. You fail for the things you dont do, the business you leave unfinished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/think-about-it-you-rarely-fail-for-the-things-you-do-you-fail-for-the/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Make sure to only make new mistakes. You must not fail on the same things over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-cabading/make-sure-to-only-make-new-mistakes-you-must-not-fail-on-the-same/) Ivy Cabading > [You'll fail at some things - that's a learning experience that you need so that you can take that on to the next experience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-omidyar/you-ll-fail-at-some-things-that-s-a-learning-experience-that-you-need/) [Pierre Omidyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-omidyar/) > [The problem is, you fail to see things as it is. You see them the way you know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/the-problem-is-you-fail-to-see-things-as-it-is-you-see-them-the-way/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [Writing can be bad and still be part of something good. That 'art' is really 'artifact,' Exhibit A, Exhibit B, of something else: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kraus/writing-can-be-bad-and-still-be-part-of-something-good-that-art-is/) [Chris Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kraus/) > [I fail at things all the time. I'm always being told no. I just get back up and try again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bones/i-fail-at-things-all-the-time-i-m-always-being-told-no-i-just-get/) [Bobby Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bones/) > [Where most entrepreneurs fail is on the things they don't know they don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/where-most-entrepreneurs-fail-is-on-the-things-they-don-t-know-they/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [“No matter how successful or skilled you are, you will inevitably fail at many things in your work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-henry/no-matter-how-successful-or-skilled-you-are-you-will-inevitably-fail/) [Todd Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-henry/) > [I love ignoring people. Many reasons why but overall I just wanna see which ones care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-ignoring-people-many-reasons-why-but-overall-i-just-wanna-see/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Roberts > [You can't fight for your rights if you don't know what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/you-can-t-fight-for-your-rights-if-you-don-t-know-what-they-are/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [Judges have to have the humility to recognize that they operate within a system of precedent, shaped by other judges equally striving to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/judges-have-to-have-the-humility-to-recognize-that-they-operate/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [I will be vigilant to protect the independence and integrity of the Supreme Court, and I will work to ensure that it upholds the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/i-will-be-vigilant-to-protect-the-independence-and-integrity-of-the/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, ... But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/if-the-constitution-says-that-the-little-guy-should-win-the-little/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [There is no better gift a society can give children than the opportunity to grow up safe and free - the chance to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/there-is-no-better-gift-a-society-can-give-children-than-the/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [President Ronald Reagan used to speak of the Soviet constitution, and he noted that it purported to grant wonderful rights of all sorts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/president-ronald-reagan-used-to-speak-of-the-soviet-constitution-and/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [When I worked in the Department of Justice, in the office of the solicitor general, it was my job to argue cases for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/when-i-worked-in-the-department-of-justice-in-the-office-of-the/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [While some of the tales of woe emanating from the court are enough to bring tears to the eyes, it is true that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/while-some-of-the-tales-of-woe-emanating-from-the-court-are-enough-to/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [A chief justice's authority is really quite limited, and the dynamic among all the justices is going to affect whether he can accomplish much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/a-chief-justice-s-authority-is-really-quite-limited-and-the-dynamic/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [If children do not understand the Constitution, they cannot understand how our government functions, or what their rights and responsibilities are as citizens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/if-children-do-not-understand-the-constitution-they-cannot-understand/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [I think judicial temperament is a willingness to step back from your own committed views of the correct jurisprudential approach and evaluate those views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/i-think-judicial-temperament-is-a-willingness-to-step-back-from-your/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [There is a risk of death associated with donating a piece of liver. It's about one in 500 for the risk of death. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/there-is-a-risk-of-death-associated-with-donating-a-piece-of-liver-it/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [An important function of the Supreme Court is to provide guidance, .. As a lower court judge, I appreciate clear guidance from the Supreme Court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/an-important-function-of-the-supreme-court-is-to-provide-guidance-as/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [Justice Rehnquist was friendly and unpretentious. He wore scuffed Hush Puppy shoes. That was my first lesson. Clothes do not make the man. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/justice-rehnquist-was-friendly-and-unpretentious-he-wore-scuffed-hush/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [If it's a situation in which the public is being given access, you can't discriminate against the media and say, as a general matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/if-it-s-a-situation-in-which-the-public-is-being-given-access-you-can/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) [Explore all 48 John Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) ## More Fail quotes > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Would you like a side of epic with that fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabi/would-you-like-a-side-of-epic-with-that-fail/) [Gabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabi/) > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [“If you die, I will find you. I will never leave you. I will never let you go. I will not let you fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/if-you-die-i-will-find-you-i-will-never-leave-you-i-will-never-let/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“The worst outcome of not trying is never getting to fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-gary-smith/the-worst-outcome-of-not-trying-is-never-getting-to-fail/) [Phillip Gary Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-gary-smith/) > [“Many people fail in their career, business and relationship, and others get stuck because of their inability to make quality decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem-mpamah/many-people-fail-in-their-career-business-and-relationship-and-others/) [Nkem Mpamah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkem-mpamah/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/this-is-my-most-important-role-if-i-fail-at-this-i-fail-at-everything/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Sunscreen is something that I think a lot of people fail to incorporate into their beauty routines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/sunscreen-is-something-that-i-think-a-lot-of-people-fail-to/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [Never give up on something just because you think you might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-lee-reed-jr/never-give-up-on-something-just-because-you-think-you-might-fail/) Jimmy Lee Reed Jr > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) Browse all 2,202 Fail quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Roberts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fail-to-do-things-that-would-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fail-to-do-things-that-would-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/john-roberts-13892_fail_people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fa_1305347.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People, for reasons of their own, often fail to do things that would be good for them or good for society.” — John Roberts", "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": "John Roberts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People, for reasons of their own,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fail-to-do-things-that-would-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/people-for-reasons-of-their-own-often-fail-to-do-things-that-would-be/#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 } } ] } ```