There are certain contexts where selfishness is positively self-serving – like walking out on relationships that don’t accord one the respect they deserve as a human being; or choosing what familial expenses to be responsible for without totally cutting off personal needs and losing oneself. However, the negative connotations often outweigh the positives and make selfish traits socially intolerable and immoral.
To be selfish is to have an apparent and deliberate disregard for the needs and feelings of other people around us. A selfish person has their senses fully attuned to self-pleasure and control that they don’t mind trampling and manipulating people to achieve their goals. For them, the end always justifies the means, and fighting for a common ideal or good is unnecessary.
To throw more light on the meaning of the discourse, its causes, signs and possible solutions, we have curated the selfish behaviour quotes below. The aim is to get you to understand the nuances and appearances of selfish traits and how they negatively affect us in different contexts.
Selfish Behaviour Quotes
Selfish behaviour is usually sometimes hereditary. It has mostly negative connotations in which someone often thinks and acts more in their interests than making others happy. It breeds hatred toward the selfish person without him or her knowing it sometimes.
1. As a negative trait, selfish behaviour comprises narrow-minded actions, a lack of concern for others, and a disregard for other people’s feelings.
2. Selfish behaviour often has people doing things solely for their pleasures without any thought for the feelings of others or the common good.
3. For some people, selfish behaviour is usually a product of upbringing and social interactions and is often characterized by being assertive and pushy.
4. Selfish behaviour is prevalent around us and refers to actions taken by individuals whose welfare takes precedence over others.
5. Some behavioural scholars have concluded that selfish behaviour is acting with self-interest at the forefront of our minds and is something all humans occasionally do.
6. Selfish behaviour is often synonymous with self-interest and uncooperative behaviour. Its signs include self-promotion, impatience, and impulsive actions.
7. Selfish behaviour isn’t always negative and is important for thriving in the workplace, where competition and rivalry are common.
8. People who exhibit selfish behaviours are always sure that the world and other people need altering, and never themselves.
9. Techniques for dealing with selfish behaviour include walking away, avoiding confrontation, sticking to facts, defining boundaries, and education from a distance.
10. The most common causes of selfish behaviour are low self-esteem, no sense of worth, and a constant stream of self-criticisms.
11. People that exhibit selfish behaviour are often inconsiderate and will fight for what they want, even when it means trampling on other people’s rights.
12. In the workplace, selfish behaviour is concretized by callous actions, ruthless competition, and rivalry that will do whatever it takes to succeed.
13. The negative outlook on selfish behaviour by society also dates back to prehistoric times, where acts of it often jeopardized people’s safety and attracted grave punishments.
14. The opposite of selfish behaviour is loving one’s neighbours like themselves, showing moderation, and prioritizing the common good.
15. Selfish behaviour always asks, ‘why should we sacrifice personal needs and desires for the happiness of all and the greater good?’
16. People with selfish behaviour never really change except they decide to look within themselves and realize that other people deserve better treatment.
17. The opposite of selfish behaviour is altruism, where people learn to use their special skills and talents to contribute effectively to their families and communities.
18. Selfish behaviour is harmful because it is premised on a person’s regular self-interest, regardless of the costs to others.
19. How selfish behaviour is recognized is often through behavioural patterns and the responses such actions elicit from other people.
20. Selfish behaviour is also prevalent in marital relationships, and a permanent fix is often for both partners to go their separate ways.
21. When people often do things out of self-interest and exhibit selfishness, it can permanently hurt them and their loved ones.
22. In humans, selfishness is a dysfunctional pattern of choices made to benefit oneself at the expense of others and is often considered immoral and antisocial.
24. Selfishness can be considered positive in many ways, as long as we don’t permanently hurt others with our actions and choices.
25. At different times, mostly without knowing it, we all exhibit selfish behaviour when there are threats to our survival and wellbeing.
26. Selfishness is a common trait, including malice, deliberate negligence, emotional tantrums and self-centeredness.
27. Selfishness and greed are often synonymous and are based on the argument that one’s happiness depends on the deprivation of others.
28. Selfish behaviour may be an innate human feature, but some of us are more prone to giving in than others.
29. To be selfish is to focus on ‘self’ and exhibit characteristics like excessive competition, rivalry, and a disregard for other people’s feelings.
30. A selfish person is a taker – they expect to be given all the time but will not extend others the same favour when it’s not in their interest.
31. Selfishness is a term used to describe specific behaviours observable in people who only focus on their interests and pleasures.
32. Selfish behaviour manifests itself in different ways but is mostly focused on one’s personal needs and desires over that of others.
33. Selfish behaviour is deliberately ignoring the needs of others and how our actions and inactions will affect them.
34. Selfish behaviour often relates to materialism and consumerism and fosters inequality between people.
35. Selfish people hardly ever think of how their actions affect others around them. Instead, they learn how to camouflage with superficial charm and kindness.
36. The attitude of a selfish person is often passive-aggressive, sly, unfair, unhealthy, and unpeaceful.
37. A toxic environment and poor social values can influence selfish behaviour. People raised within these contexts are more likely to become selfish.
38. The opposite of selfishness is selflessness when people let go of an ideal pleasure of self to solve communal problems regularly and efficiently.
39. Selfish behaviour is usually a toxic and excessive concern for one’s interests alone, without any regard for others.
40. Selfishness is conditioning where people are self-absorbed in pursuing personal pleasures and incapable of any generous act towards others or ideas.
41. A selfish person is often considered self-serving in extreme and manipulative ways and constantly neglects the needs of others.
42. The term selfishness is based on ego; hence actions around it are considered socially unacceptable.
43. Selfish behaviour traits constantly undermine people’s efforts, overwhelm them, and undercut their values.
44. In some cases, personality disorders can get people wrapped up in their desires and pleasures to the point of not caring about the needs of others.
45. A wide range of behaviours explain selfishness – lack of consideration for others, materialism, personal ambition and greed are just some examples.
46. Selfishness is a negative pattern of thoughts and actions that treat others with disregard and manipulates them for sole interests and pleasures.
47. Selfish behaviour is exhibited in people with an extreme desire for power, money or fame, who don’t care if they hurt others.
48. A person who thinks, speaks and acts without sincere regard for the welfare of others is often referred to as selfish.
49. Selfish behaviour is also rooted in innate temperaments and external factors like parents and society.
50. People with selfish behaviour tend to only think of themselves and not care about how others may feel.
Certainly, with the selfish behaviour quotes above, you now have insights into the different contexts, signs, and possible solutions for handling selfishness.
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