--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your best chance of survival was to be…" description: "\"“Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish.”\" — Laura Spinney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg" --- # Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish. ![“Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish.” quote by Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg) > ““Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish.”” [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Survival sometimes requires extreme self‑interest, prioritizing one’s own needs above others. **In simple terms:** Self‑interest can be essential for survival. Key Takeaway Consider selfishness when survival is at stake. Themes ethics survival self‑preservation Mood tense thoughtful Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - disaster response - war zones - personal health crises - competitive business environments Key Concepts psychological egoism maslow hierarchy of needs Questions to Reflect On - Is selfishness always justified in life‑or‑death situations? - What are the long‑term costs of selfish survival tactics? A Different Perspective Selfishness can damage relationships and community trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I step naked into the shower of truth - whole-hearted, bloody-minded, utterly selfish, no longer even pretending to enjoy or understand anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selima-hill/i-step-naked-into-the-shower-of-truth-whole-hearted-bloody-minded/) [Selima Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selima-hill/) > [“An approach, according to which children should fulfil their parents’ dreams/ do everything in order to make their parents happy/ provide their parents with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/an-approach-according-to-which-children-should-fulfil-their-parents/) [Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/) > [Friends who restrict their friends from being happy in a relationship is utterly selfish. Get on with your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friends-who-restrict-their-friends-from-being-happy-in-a-relationship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“War makes animals of men, and we can't let that happen to us. If we do, we won't have any chance of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/war-makes-animals-of-men-and-we-can-t-let-that-happen-to-us-if-we-do/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which said that probably 88% chance of mission success and maybe 96% chance of survival.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/i-think-all-of-us-certainly-believed-the-statistics-which-said-that/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [For the storyteller, for the arrowmaker, language does indeed represent the only chance for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/for-the-storyteller-for-the-arrowmaker-language-does-indeed-represent/) [N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/) > [When I was first diagnosed, I went out, as a book person, and got some books on cancer and looked up my version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/when-i-was-first-diagnosed-i-went-out-as-a-book-person-and-got-some/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [“Fear is a survival instinct, after all. When there’s no longer a chance of survival, there should no longer be a reason for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-kita/fear-is-a-survival-instinct-after-all-when-there-s-no-longer-a-chance/) [Joe Kita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-kita/) > [I land in New York, and next day, we go to the doctor. He looks at everything, and we had sent all our tests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonali-bendre/i-land-in-new-york-and-next-day-we-go-to-the-doctor-he-looks-at/) [Sonali Bendre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonali-bendre/) > [What chance of survival does a culture have when its own elites actively seek its destruction?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-lind/what-chance-of-survival-does-a-culture-have-when-its-own-elites/) William S. Lind > [“Train yourself. That is your only chance of survival. Train yourself not to be afraid of death and you will never lose hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-jasen/train-yourself-that-is-your-only-chance-of-survival-train-yourself/) Jessie Jasen > [“Be real. I'm going up against three of the world's most vicious ubervillains. I have a very, very slim chance of survival. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/be-real-i-m-going-up-against-three-of-the-world-s-most-vicious/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [When I planned to ski Everest, the first thing I faced was, 'How can I return alive?' All the preparation and training was based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuichiro-miura/when-i-planned-to-ski-everest-the-first-thing-i-faced-was-how-can-i/) [Yuichiro Miura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuichiro-miura/) > [I think probably Wimbledon is my best chance to win a slam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-tomic/i-think-probably-wimbledon-is-my-best-chance-to-win-a-slam/) [Bernard Tomic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-tomic/) > [Marriage is our last, best chance to grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barth/marriage-is-our-last-best-chance-to-grow-up/) Joseph Barth ## More by Laura Spinney > [“It had long been assumed that school-age children represented ideal vectors of infection, because they are among the preferred victims of seasonal flu, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/it-had-long-been-assumed-that-school-age-children-represented-ideal/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“It was the greatest tidal wave of death since the Black Death, perhaps in the whole of human history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/it-was-the-greatest-tidal-wave-of-death-since-the-black-death-perhaps/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“historian Alfred Crosby, who told the story of the flu in America, argued that democracy was unhelpful in a pandemic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/historian-alfred-crosby-who-told-the-story-of-the-flu-in-america/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“The Swiss-born architect known as Le Corbusier retreated to his rooms in Paris and sipped cognac and smoked through the worst of the pandemic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/the-swiss-born-architect-known-as-le-corbusier-retreated-to-his-rooms/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“Between the first case recorded on 4 March 1918, and the last sometime in March 1920, it killed 50–100 million people, or between 2.5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/between-the-first-case-recorded-on-4-march-1918-and-the-last-sometime/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“wake. Conflict makes people hungry and anxious; it uproots them, packs them into insanitary camps and requisitions their doctors. It makes them vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/wake-conflict-makes-people-hungry-and-anxious-it-uproots-them-packs/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) > [“Blue darkened to black. The black first appeared at the extremities–the hands and feet, including the nails–stole up the limbs and eventually infused the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/blue-darkened-to-black-the-black-first-appeared-at-the-extremities/) [Laura Spinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) [Explore all 8 Laura Spinney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/) ## More Selfish quotes > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [I don't try to be something I'm not, I don't try to pretend that I'm something I'm not, I don't try to present myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/i-don-t-try-to-be-something-i-m-not-i-don-t-try-to-pretend-that-i-m/) [Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [I don't surround myself with a lower quality of human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-don-t-surround-myself-with-a-lower-quality-of-human/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [Our thoughts are either focused on what's eternal, life-changing, and true, or lost in the details of our temporary, selfish, false beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/our-thoughts-are-either-focused-on-what-s-eternal-life-changing-and/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [It amazes me how selfish some people are and how rude people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-amazes-me-how-selfish-some-people-are-and-how-rude-people-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They say we all die alone, but I say we die together as one, with every selfish act, piece by piece, smack by smack...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-erlandson/they-say-we-all-die-alone-but-i-say-we-die-together-as-one-with-every/) [Eric Erlandson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-erlandson/) > [Selfish people make me sick to my stomach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/selfish-people-make-me-sick-to-my-stomach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/) [Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/) > [I'm not a selfish guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romelu-lukaku/i-m-not-a-selfish-guy/) [Romelu Lukaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romelu-lukaku/) > [There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and-selfish-as-a-man-in-love/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [I will no longer surround myself around selfish people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-no-longer-surround-myself-around-selfish-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 2,822 Selfish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura Spinney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-utterly-selfish/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Selfish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-utterly-selfish/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/laura-spinney-46405_quote_your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-u_1885110.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Your best chance of survival was to be utterly selfish.” — Laura Spinney", "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": "Laura Spinney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Your best chance of survival was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-utterly-selfish/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinney/your-best-chance-of-survival-was-to-be-utterly-selfish/#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 } } ] } ```