Altruism Quotations

Wikipedia flourished partly because it was a shrine to altruism.

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

Countries that intervene militarily rarely do so out of pure altruism.

Before Darwin, our world was very religious. People saw altruism as something given by God for us to be good so that we could go to Paradise.

One of the great issues in biology is the origin of altruism - of why you would do something for someone else that could hurt you - and Darwin posited that it might be rooted in maternal instinct, in sacrificing yourself for your children.

Live to learn, learn to live, then teach others.

The positive energy and the overall tone of this event are almost euphoric, ... To have 2,400 people collectively engaged in an act of goodness like this restores one's faith in humanity. Indeed, this demonstrated capacity for altruism challenges the notion that it is always about self-interest.

Wars are never fought for altruistic reasons.

Kevin convinced us that his motivation was one of pure altruism and that it was important to him to help a stranger in this way.

We propose this with great caution, ... The evidence, after all, only applies strongly to insects. Human altruism and tight-knit societies may well have evolved differently. But if it is true, it would help us understand the group aggression and warfare so widespread today. Those who study human biology and behavior should take a new look at this possibility.

There's no such thing as altruism.

Britain, relative to the U.S., is a highly secular society. Philanthropy alone cannot fill the gap left by government cutbacks. And the sources of altruism go deep into our evolutionary past.

Human altruism is thought to be based, in part, on empathy. To be empathetic, you need to understand the thoughts and desires of others.

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

Altruism is for those who cannot endure their desires.

Altruism is a hard master, but so is opportunism.

Altruism is a barbarism. Love is the word.

Altruism is the best source of happiness. There is no doubt about that.

Altruism is a brief phase through which some adolescents must pass. It is rather like acne. Happily, as with acne, only a few are permanently scarred.