Human nature Quote by Levitt & Dubner

Altruism is innate, but it's not instinctual. Everybody's wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped.

— David Rakoff

Of all the nonsense that twists the world, the concept of 'altruism' is the worst. People do what they want to, every time. If…

— Robert A. Heinlein

There is another kind of altruism that seems to go beyond that, a kind of super-altruism, which humans appear to have. And I think…

— Richard Dawkins

Altruism itself depends on a recognition of the reality of other persons, and on the equivalent capacity to regard oneself as merely one individual…

— Thomas Nagel

Be warned that if you wish, as I do, to build a society in which individuals cooperate generously and unselfishly towards a common good,…

— Richard Dawkins

Altruism declares that any action taken for the benefit of others is good, and any action taken for one's own benefit is evil. Thus…

— Ayn Rand

All altruism springs from putting yourself in the other person's place.

— Harry Emerson Fosdick

It often turns out on closer inspection that acts of apparent altruism are really selfishness in disguise.

— Richard Dawkins

Altruism is a fine motive, but if you want results, greed works much better.

— Henry Spencer

I think there is a level of altruism that wants to help fellow human beings.

— Frank Grillo

I believe that people generally want to be what we call good. They want to cooperate with people. They don't want to steal; they…

— Stephen J. Dubner

There's a lot of evidence in evolutionary sciences that show that altruism and acting in ways that are empathetic to others are actually beneficial…

— Neill Blomkamp