--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It astounds us to come upon other…" description: "\"It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we alone had the right to be selfish, and to be filled with eagerness to live.\" — Jules Renard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg" --- # It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we… ![“It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we alone had the right to be selfish, and to be filled with eagerness to live.” quote by Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg) > “It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we alone had the right to be selfish, and to be filled with eagerness to live.” [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often judge others for selfishness while assuming we are exempt, yet we all share the same desire to live fully. **In simple terms:** We see others as egoists, forgetting we are similar. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity and curb judgment. Themes self-awareness empathy human nature Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - team dynamics - conflict resolution Key Concepts egoism selfishness existential desire Questions to Reflect On - How do you assume others are more selfish than you? - What would change if you saw yourself in them? A Different Perspective Judgment can blind us to common needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being selfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-selfish/) [Eagerness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagerness/) ## Related quotes > [All children are born pure egoists. They perceive their needs to the exclusion of all others. Only through socialization do they learn that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/all-children-are-born-pure-egoists-they-perceive-their-needs-to-the/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“The army is at once the worst place for egoists, and the best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/the-army-is-at-once-the-worst-place-for-egoists-and-the-best/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > ['Actually I don't understand people who want to kill themselves. Ones got to have the courage to live. They are cowards. Narcitics egoists, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suicide-room/actually-i-don-t-understand-people-who-want-to-kill-themselves-ones/) Suicide Room > [Altruists, with thin, weak voices, denounce Christ as an egoist. Egoists (with even thinner and weaker voices) denounce Him as an altruist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/altruists-with-thin-weak-voices-denounce-christ-as-an-egoist-egoists/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Optimism has always seemed to me the cunning alibi of egoists, anxious to cover up their state of chronic self-satisfaction. They are optimists in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/optimism-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-cunning-alibi-of-egoists-anxious/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [“Rejoicing in his absolute authority, the single egoist will exploit it methodically, whereas a mêlée of egoists will bring about a ruinous disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-de-jouvenel/rejoicing-in-his-absolute-authority-the-single-egoist-will-exploit-it/) [Bertrand De Jouvenel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-de-jouvenel/) > [Those who call themselves art photographers are pompous, arrogant egoists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-newman/those-who-call-themselves-art-photographers-are-pompous-arrogant/) [Arnold Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-newman/) > [Of course, we are all egoists. Egoism is so much a part of our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/of-course-we-are-all-egoists-egoism-is-so-much-a-part-of-our-humanity/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“thus it is that egoists have always the last word; having posited at the start that their resolution is unshakeable, the more susceptible the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/thus-it-is-that-egoists-have-always-the-last-word-having-posited-at/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Human beings are 'emotional amoral egoists,' driven above all by emotional self-interest. All of our thoughts, beliefs and motivations are neurochemically mediated, some predetermined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayef-al-rodhan/human-beings-are-emotional-amoral-egoists-driven-above-all-by/) [Nayef Al-Rodhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayef-al-rodhan/) > [Human beings are struggling, and so they are egoists. But it's wrong to say that they are wholy cruel - it's a deformed view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/human-beings-are-struggling-and-so-they-are-egoists-but-it-s-wrong-to/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [When your kid is being selfish or greedy and you want to help them not be that way, you have to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/when-your-kid-is-being-selfish-or-greedy-and-you-want-to-help-them/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [Been accustomed to being selfish...Trying to be a little less each day...Making progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/been-accustomed-to-being-selfish-trying-to-be-a-little-less-each-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Spoiling yourself is what you call being selfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/spoiling-yourself-is-what-you-call-being-selfish/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) ## More by Jules Renard > [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Words are the small change of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/words-are-the-small-change-of-thought/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [There is nothing like literature: I lose a cow, I write about her death, and my writing pays me enough to buy another cow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/there-is-nothing-like-literature-i-lose-a-cow-i-write-about-her-death/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [There is a justice, but we do not always see it. Discreet, smiling, it is there, at one side, a little behind injustice, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/there-is-a-justice-but-we-do-not-always-see-it-discreet-smiling-it-is/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [There are no friends; only moments of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/there-are-no-friends-only-moments-of-friendship/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [In morals, always do as others do; in art, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/in-morals-always-do-as-others-do-in-art-never/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/the-only-man-who-is-really-free-is-the-one-who-can-turn-down-an/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Don't tell a woman she's pretty; tell her there's no other woman like her, and all roads will open to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/don-t-tell-a-woman-she-s-pretty-tell-her-there-s-no-other-woman-like/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [“There are moments when everything goes well; don't be frightened, it won't last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/there-are-moments-when-everything-goes-well-don-t-be-frightened-it/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [We are ignorant of the Beyond because this ignorance is the condition of our own life. Just as ice cannot know fire except by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/we-are-ignorant-of-the-beyond-because-this-ignorance-is-the-condition/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Some people are so boring that they make you waste an entire day in five minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/some-people-are-so-boring-that-they-make-you-waste-an-entire-day-in/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [An optimist is a driver who thinks that empty space at the curb won't have a hydrant beside it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/an-optimist-is-a-driver-who-thinks-that-empty-space-at-the-curb-won-t/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [The bourgeois are other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/the-bourgeois-are-other-people/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Somewhere in the shadow cast by every famous man is a feminine victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/somewhere-in-the-shadow-cast-by-every-famous-man-is-a-feminine-victim/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/the-ideal-of-calm-exists-in-a-sitting-cat/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) [Explore all 121 Jules Renard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) ## More Being selfish quotes > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Spoiling yourself is what you call being selfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/spoiling-yourself-is-what-you-call-being-selfish/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Been accustomed to being selfish...Trying to be a little less each day...Making progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/been-accustomed-to-being-selfish-trying-to-be-a-little-less-each-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When your kid is being selfish or greedy and you want to help them not be that way, you have to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/when-your-kid-is-being-selfish-or-greedy-and-you-want-to-help-them/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [My wit is like your legs," said Xochi. " It would be selfish of me to keep it hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/my-wit-is-like-your-legs-said-xochi-it-would-be-selfish-of-me-to-keep/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-i-want-to-be-a-woman/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Sorry for being selfish. I'll try to make it mine. And no matter what they say, I don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-for-being-selfish-i-ll-try-to-make-it-mine-and-no-matter-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Few human creatures would consent to be changed into any of the lower animals for a promise of the fullest allowance of a beast's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/few-human-creatures-would-consent-to-be-changed-into-any-of-the-lower/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Working hard for yourself & being selfish are different situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/working-hard-for-yourself-being-selfish-are-different-situations/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some things you just have to do for yourself not being selfish just productive...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-things-you-just-have-to-do-for-yourself-not-being-selfish-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Historically, education has been about batch processing: standardize everything against the average, rank kids, sort them to see who gets more and who really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-todd-rose/historically-education-has-been-about-batch-processing-standardize/) [L. Todd Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-todd-rose/) > [These days some Relationships are filled with nothing but selfishness, insecurities, hate, ignorance and cheaters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/these-days-some-relationships-are-filled-with-nothing-but-selfishness/) Enhance Dreams > [Ideas that spread win. Ideas don't have to be selfish to win, in fact, it turns out that the more generous the interactions an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/ideas-that-spread-win-ideas-don-t-have-to-be-selfish-to-win-in-fact/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [I think I was righteous. I saw myself as the good guy in my own movie. I didn't get into many fights when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/i-think-i-was-righteous-i-saw-myself-as-the-good-guy-in-my-own-movie/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [You speak of sacrifice, but it is not my sacrifice I offer. It is yours I ask of you," he went on. "I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-speak-of-sacrifice-but-it-is-not-my-sacrifice-i-offer-it-is-yours/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) [Browse all 138 Being selfish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-selfish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we alone had the right to be selfish, and to be filled with eagerness to live.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jules Renard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoists-as-though-we-alone-had-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being selfish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoists-as-though-we-alone-had-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/468/jules-renard-3609_being-selfish_it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoist_2424236.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It astounds us to come upon other egoists, as though we alone had the right to be selfish, and to be filled…” — Jules Renard", "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": "Jules Renard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It astounds us to come upon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoists-as-though-we-alone-had-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/it-astounds-us-to-come-upon-other-egoists-as-though-we-alone-had-the/#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 } } ] } ```