--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem in our society is the ego…" description: "\"The problem in our society is the ego psychology and conventional wisdom about \"look out for #1.\" That conventional wisdom thinks that \"love your enemy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b6/robert-thurman-9409_conventional_the-problem-in-our-society-is-the-ego-ps_850707.jpg" --- # The problem in our society is the ego psychology and… ![“The problem in our society is the ego psychology and conventional wisdom about "look out for #1." That conventional wisdom thinks that "love your enemy" is to some a principle no one can ever live by.” quote by Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b6/robert-thurman-9409_conventional_the-problem-in-our-society-is-the-ego-ps_850707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b6/robert-thurman-9409_conventional_the-problem-in-our-society-is-the-ego-ps_850707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b6/robert-thurman-9409_conventional_the-problem-in-our-society-is-the-ego-ps_850707.jpg) > “The problem in our society is the ego psychology and conventional wisdom about "look out for #1." That conventional wisdom thinks that "love your enemy" is to some a principle no one can ever live by.” [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ego‑driven self‑interest undermines love for enemies, making true compassion rare. **In simple terms:** Ego blocks genuine compassion. Key Takeaway Practice self‑less love. Themes ego compassion society Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - conflict resolution - community service - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology ethical philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can you love those who oppose you? - What practices nurture self‑less compassion? A Different Perspective Societal norms often reward self‑interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-psychology-746358/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-principle-746359/) [Live by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-by/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Love you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-you/) [Love your enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-your-enemies/) [Love your enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-your-enemy/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-society-686701/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Society Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-ego-746357/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [If you love your enemy, that means you want your enemy to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/if-you-love-your-enemy-that-means-you-want-your-enemy-to-be-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Our society must move from ego-system to eco-system economics. This requires that we shift from ego-system silos to eco-system awareness that considers others and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-scharmer/our-society-must-move-from-ego-system-to-eco-system-economics-this/) [Otto Scharmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-scharmer/) > [And God said, Love your enemy, & I obeyed Him & loved myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/and-god-said-love-your-enemy-i-obeyed-him-loved-myself/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Grow a garden, give food away, resist the temptation to give into hate, change it up and try peacemaking for once, love your neighbor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripp-york/grow-a-garden-give-food-away-resist-the-temptation-to-give-into-hate/) [Tripp York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripp-york/) > [If you take the 'love your enemy' out of Christianity, you've 'unChristianed' the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-volf/if-you-take-the-love-your-enemy-out-of-christianity-you-ve/) [Miroslav Volf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-volf/) > [Love is understanding, redemptive goodwill for all men, so that you love everybody, because God loves them. You refuse to do anything that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/love-is-understanding-redemptive-goodwill-for-all-men-so-that-you-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [You don't have a revolution in which you love your enemy, and you don't have a revolution in which you are begging the system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-don-t-have-a-revolution-in-which-you-love-your-enemy-and-you-don/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Love your enemy; it will ruin his reputation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/love-your-enemy-it-will-ruin-his-reputation/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Love your enemy, it will scare the hell out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/love-your-enemy-it-will-scare-the-hell-out-of-them/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [In faith, I'm a believer in the do's - you know, love your neighbor, love your enemy. I don't spend a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/in-faith-i-m-a-believer-in-the-do-s-you-know-love-your-neighbor-love/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [If anyone here is secretly dreaming of making the Olympics, I can tell you exactly how to do it, two words: Sustained Obsession. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/if-anyone-here-is-secretly-dreaming-of-making-the-olympics-i-can-tell/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [Love your enemy. But don't forget he is not your friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-your-enemy-but-don-t-forget-he-is-not-your-friend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Another way that you love your enemy is this: When the opportunity presents itself for you to defeat your enemy, that is the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/another-way-that-you-love-your-enemy-is-this-when-the-opportunity/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Love your enemy. It will not only puzzle him, But finally illumine him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/love-your-enemy-it-will-not-only-puzzle-him-but-finally-illumine-him/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) ## More by Robert Thurman > [Whether or not enlightenment is a plausible goal for us is a vital question for our lives. If it is possible for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/whether-or-not-enlightenment-is-a-plausible-goal-for-us-is-a-vital/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [You're more responsible ethically for being there with your interconnection to the world, but the you now is an always changing one, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/you-re-more-responsible-ethically-for-being-there-with-your/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [However, because of your interconnectedness with all things, other beings still have a problem, and when you realize that you have no absolute self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/however-because-of-your-interconnectedness-with-all-things-other/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [If you love your enemy, that means you want your enemy to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/if-you-love-your-enemy-that-means-you-want-your-enemy-to-be-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [In Buddhist ideology, the conventional self is that which is constructed in a way by the use of the pronoun, and when you realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/in-buddhist-ideology-the-conventional-self-is-that-which-is/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To become enlightened is not just to slip into some disconnected euphoria, an oceanic feeling of mystic oneness apart from ordinary reality. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-become-enlightened-is-not-just-to-slip-into-some-disconnected/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I think about the trends at the moment in the planet and how it looks for my grandchildren. I don't panic over it, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-think-about-the-trends-at-the-moment-in-the-planet-and-how-it-looks/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [To finish building the free society dreamed of by Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson, we must draw upon the resources of the enlightened imagination, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/to-finish-building-the-free-society-dreamed-of-by-washington-franklin/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Hate poisons your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/hate-poisons-your-life/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [A possession can't make you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/a-possession-can-t-make-you-happy/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [People in Tibet have an expression. When you reach a certain degree of venerableness and age, and people ask, "How are you?," there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/people-in-tibet-have-an-expression-when-you-reach-a-certain-degree-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [“Anger spoils relationships where there should be great reciprocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/anger-spoils-relationships-where-there-should-be-great-reciprocity/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [It isn't the meaning of love where you somehow desire that one or you want them or want them to love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/it-isn-t-the-meaning-of-love-where-you-somehow-desire-that-one-or-you/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the greatest teachers of our time. He reaches from the heights of insight down to the deepest places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/thich-nhat-hanh-is-one-of-the-greatest-teachers-of-our-time-he/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [I'd like to say is that we shouldn't have an idea that the goal of spiritual practice is to annihilate ones ego, that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/i-d-like-to-say-is-that-we-shouldn-t-have-an-idea-that-the-goal-of/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) [Explore all 73 Robert Thurman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) ## More Conventional quotes > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. 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It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [Because investors are not usually penalized for adhering to conventional practices, doing so is the less professionally risky strategy, even though it virtually guarantees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/because-investors-are-not-usually-penalized-for-adhering-to/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [My father was in real estate, banking, and land management. As family life, it was very conventional, happy, and comfortable. We weren't wealthy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/my-father-was-in-real-estate-banking-and-land-management-as-family/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I think you will learn to be natural with me, as I find it impossible to be conventional with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-think-you-will-learn-to-be-natural-with-me-as-i-find-it-impossible/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [Some days, I think maybe we should try and be a little more conventional, but every time I try, I fail, so I'm learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seinabo-sey/some-days-i-think-maybe-we-should-try-and-be-a-little-more/) [Seinabo Sey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seinabo-sey/) > [The vision of extraordinary achievement is,by definition, a few steps beyond consensus and conventional logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-belsky/the-vision-of-extraordinary-achievement-is-by-definition-a-few-steps/) [Scott Belsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-belsky/) > [“Can you make me remember the conventional way?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/can-you-make-me-remember-the-conventional-way/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [Nobody can live in society without conventions. The reason why sensible people are as conventional as they can bear to be is that conventionality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nobody-can-live-in-society-without-conventions-the-reason-why/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Currency speculation-over a trillion dollars a day-is a tax-free activity. The notion of a tax on "day trades" or other speculative swaps was revived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/currency-speculation-over-a-trillion-dollars-a-day-is-a-tax-free/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Fear is a problem with film music and films; people want to be conventional, and there's more commercialism today. 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