--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I must be very selfish, she thought, for…" description: "\"“I must be very selfish, she thought, for I want to set nothing and no one right; all I want is to be left in peace to make what I can of this problem ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/r-a-dick-63193_children_i-must-be-very-selfish-she-thought-for-i_54956.jpg" --- # I must be very selfish, she thought, for I want to set… ![“I must be very selfish, she thought, for I want to set nothing and no one right; all I want is to be left in peace to make what I can of this problem called life for myself and my children.” quote by R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/r-a-dick-63193_children_i-must-be-very-selfish-she-thought-for-i_54956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/r-a-dick-63193_children_i-must-be-very-selfish-she-thought-for-i_54956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/982/r-a-dick-63193_children_i-must-be-very-selfish-she-thought-for-i_54956.jpg) > ““I must be very selfish, she thought, for I want to set nothing and no one right; all I want is to be left in peace to make what I can of this problem called life for myself and my children.”” [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker prioritizes personal peace and self-determination over imposing moral judgments, seeking to navigate life's challenges for herself and her children. **In simple terms:** Self‑preservation over moralizing. Key Takeaway Peaceful autonomy. Themes individualism parental responsibility existentialism self‑reliance non‑judgment Mood reflective determined Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - parenting decisions - career choices - health crises - relationship boundaries Key Concepts personal agency life's complexity Practical Applications - personal coaching - family counseling Questions to Reflect On - How does seeking peace affect one's responsibilities? - When is self‑interest justified? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) ## Related quotes > [“I must be very selfish...for I want to set nothing and no one right; all I want is to be left in peace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-leslie/i-must-be-very-selfish-for-i-want-to-set-nothing-and-no-one-right-all/) Josephine Leslie > [When I was in grade school and we had to write papers about what we wanted to be when we grew up, I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-evert/when-i-was-in-grade-school-and-we-had-to-write-papers-about-what-we/) [Chris Evert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-evert/) > [Everybody loves to talk about calmness and peace, whether in a family, national, or international context, but without inner peace how can we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/everybody-loves-to-talk-about-calmness-and-peace-whether-in-a-family/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“PEACE When we make peace with ourselves, our quarrels with the world come to an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amar-ochani/peace-when-we-make-peace-with-ourselves-our-quarrels-with-the-world/) [Amar Ochani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amar-ochani/) > [“The dying are selfish, he thought; they want their moments to themselves, like children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/the-dying-are-selfish-he-thought-they-want-their-moments-to/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [Whenever I release a record, it's my record. It's not a selfish thought. I may work all year 'round for other people. So, finally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/whenever-i-release-a-record-it-s-my-record-it-s-not-a-selfish-thought/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [“Because apparently I’m more selfish than I thought. I simply can’t bear to be without her.” Stoneville’s expression softened. “Now that’s what you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/because-apparently-i-m-more-selfish-than-i-thought-i-simply-can-t/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [I'd rather be remembered as a player who came on and impacted a lot of games for England. 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"I hate no one. I want only to be left in peace to understand the mysteries of the universe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-parris/no-i-said-simply-i-hate-no-one-i-want-only-to-be-left-in-peace-to/) [S.J. Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-parris/) > [“She was perfectly content as long as people left her in peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stieg-larsson/she-was-perfectly-content-as-long-as-people-left-her-in-peace/) [Stieg Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stieg-larsson/) > [“When daddies want to be left in peace, they don't pay too much attention to what you do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunilla-bergstr-m/when-daddies-want-to-be-left-in-peace-they-don-t-pay-too-much/) Gunilla Bergström > [“We prefer when you walk around instead of through us. We like to be left in peace while we're eating and performing our courtship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kelman/we-prefer-when-you-walk-around-instead-of-through-us-we-like-to-be/) [Stephen Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kelman/) ## More by R.A. Dick > [“It was quiet in the room. Only the clock ticked on in the remorseless, mechanical minutes that men have made for themselves to measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/it-was-quiet-in-the-room-only-the-clock-ticked-on-in-the-remorseless/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Oh, Lucia the captain said softly, you are so little and so lovely. how I would have liked to have taken you to Norway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/oh-lucia-the-captain-said-softly-you-are-so-little-and-so-lovely-how/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Because, as I have told you so many times, I have no words to make you understand," said the captain. It' s all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/because-as-i-have-told-you-so-many-times-i-have-no-words-to-make-you/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) > [“Knowledge and book learning are not wisdom," said the captain. "Is this book wisdom?" asked Lucy, putting the manuscript back on the table. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-dick/knowledge-and-book-learning-are-not-wisdom-said-the-captain-is-this/) [R.A. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-dick/) [Explore all 5 R.A. 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