Behave Quote by Viggo Mortensen
“I played Lucifer once, which is sort of a difficult character to research. I thought to myself, "We all have the potential to be selfish, to be cruel - at least to think evil thoughts, even if we don't ever act out on them. Even if we don't ever think we behave badly, we probably do more than we realize."”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Press interview, 2015, discussing role preparation
Humans possess latent selfishness and cruelty, often unrecognized, and may act worse than we admit
In simple terms: People have hidden selfish thoughts and may act worse than they think
Key Takeaway
Recognize and manage hidden selfish impulses
Themes
self-awareness
human nature
morality
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- team dynamics
- leadership training
Key Concepts
psychology
ethical introspection
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify hidden selfish motives?
- What steps can curb unexamined cruelty?
A Different Perspective
Selfish impulses can be suppressed by social norms, but awareness alone may not change behavior
![“We actually did a lot of takes on this movie [J. Edgar Hoover]. I never left the set wanting more. That's for sure. I don't know. This was a very difficult character for me and a lot of the other actors here, and at times we went and did 8 or 9 or 10 takes on a single day.” quote by Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7f3/leonardo-dicaprio-997_actors_we-actually-did-a-lot-of-takes-on-this-m_2260432.jpg)
