Selfishness can be a loaded word, but sometimes it’s necessary to put yourself first. And luckily, there are plenty of quotes out there that support and justify self-centered behavior. Here are over 100 of the best selfish quotes for when you need a little bit of inspiration to do what’s best for you. After all, taking care of number one is nothing to feel guilty about!
15 Positive Quotes About Selfishness
1. “It is not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It is necessary.” – Mandy Hale
2. “I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” — Marilyn Monroe
3. “You can’t be selfish if you’re happy.” — Unknown
4. “We all want to be loved, don’t we? Everyone looks for a way of finding love. The real love is self-love. I know that sounds selfish but it’s not. Once you find that, everything else follows.” — Jennifer Aniston
5. “You can be selfish and still be a good person. I’m selfish, I want what’s best for me.” — Unknown
6. “There is no greater selfishness than that of the artist who will sacrifice everything, even his integrity, to secure public approbation.” — Benjamin Disraeli
7. “Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean me first, it means me too.” – Lillian Carter
8. “A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.” – Andrew Matthews
9. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
10. “I have always found that selfish people are the most selfish, not because they want to be, but because they don’t know any better.” — Unknown
11. “The most selfish thing you can do is to make yourself happy.” — Unknown
12. “Selfishness doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s only bad when it’s at the expense of others.” — Unknown
13. “If being selfish means doing what’s best for yourself, then I’m all for it.” — Unknown
14. “A high degree of self-love is often mistaken for a lack of modesty.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
15. “Too much self-improvement reflects a lack of acceptance of ourselves.” – Robert Holden
15 Motivational Quotes About Selfishness
1. “The most selfish people are often the ones who give the most.” – Oprah Winfrey
2. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” — Oscar Wilde
3. “What we think, we become.” — Buddha
4. “When you stop being selfish, you can start being selfless.” – Dalai Lama
5. “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
6. “Being selfish to me means that you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anybody else.” – Beyoncé
7. “Selfishness is the most deplorable of vices because it is also the most ridiculous.” – Denis Diderot
8. “There is no such thing as a pure selfish act.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
9. “You can’t be selfish if you’re trying to be successful.” – Jay-Z
10. “If we are not selfish enough to take care of our own health, how can we take care of anyone else?” – Dalai Lama
11. “All selfishness is based on the idea that I am separate from you.” – Eckhart Tolle
12. “No one is more selfish than a mother.” – Maya Angelou
13. “There is nothing selfish about being kind and compassionate to yourself. It is simply good self-care.” -Unknown
14. “I think selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
15. “If you are never selfish, you will never truly be happy.” – Jessica Hart
15 Popular Quotes About Selfishness
1. “It is selfish to love only yourself.” – William Shakespeare
2. “To be selfish is to ignore the feelings of others and only focus on your own.” – Unknown
3. “Selfish people have no time for anything but their own selfish pursuits.” – Oscar Wilde
4. “There is nothing wrong with being selfish, as long as you’re honest about it.” – Unknown
5. “If you’re not a little bit selfish, you’re not going to survive.” – Unknown
6. “The greatest selfishness is to consume the world and leave it as you found it.” – George Bernard Shaw
7. “Do not be selfish in your love. Be patient and kind. Do not be impatient with each other, but forgive each other if one of you has a grievance against the other. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.” – Colossians 3:13-14
8. “If you’re not a little selfish, you’re not going to survive.”- Unknown
9. “Of course I’m selfish. But it doesn’t stop me from caring. I still care.”- Unknown
10. ” selfishness doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It can be quite freeing, actually.”- Unknown
11. “It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.”- Mandy Hale
12. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress. Just be yourself.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. “Selfishness is not a virtue, it is a vice.”-Thomas Jefferson
14. “Selfishness is the art of counting one’s blessings, but not the other fellow’s .”-Eric Hoffer
15. “Selfish people are in love with themselves.”-Proverb
15 Inspirational Quotes About Selfishness
1. “A truly selfish person is someone who is so wrapped up in themselves that they fail to see the needs of others.” – Unknown
2. “The greatest act of selfishness is when we give ourselves what we deserve.” – Unknown
3. “Selfishness doesn’t mean simply pursuing our own interests; it means doing so at the expense of others.” – Unknown
4. “People who are selfish think only of themselves and do not care about others. They do not consider the feelings or needs of other people, and they often take advantage of others.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary
5. “True selfishness means observing the rules of just conduct not for other people’s sake but for our own; it is the highest wisdom, not the lowest.” – Unknown
6. “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” – Oscar Wilde
7. “There is no such thing as a pure selfish act, since every act benefits the doer as well as others.” – Unknown
8. “To be selfish is to be human. We all have our own wants and needs, and we will do whatever it takes to get them met. The key is to find a balance between being selfish and being selfless. When we are able to give as much as we take, then we are living in harmony with others.” – Unknown
9. “Being selfish means knowing what you want and going after it. It means having the courage to put yourself first, even if it means saying no to others.” – Unknown
10. “The most selfish thing you can do is to live your life the way you want to live it. Don’t let anyone else control your happiness.” – Unknown
11. ” The most selfish thing you can do is to choose happiness over everything else. When you are happy, you spread positivity and love to those around you. You make the world a better place just by being in it.” – Unknown
12. “The most selfish of all creatures is the human being.” – George Bernard Shaw
13. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress. Just be yourself and let people see the real, wonderful you.”
14. “Being selfish means never having to apologize for anything.” – Unknown
15. “Selfishness is not a vice, it is simply the pursuit of one’s own happiness.” – Unknown
15 Good Quotes About Selfishness
1. ” When you give yourself permission to be selfish, you become more giving, more loving, and more generous.” – Deepak Chopra
2. “The most selfish thing you can do is to help someone who can never repay you.” – Unknown
3. “Selfish people are always the most forgiving because they don’t want to waste their time on someone who isn’t worth it.” – Unknown
4. “There is nothing wrong with being selfish, as long as you’re being selfish for the right reasons.” – Unknown
5. “My wife says I’m a self-centered SOB. I told her she’s lucky she married me.” — Rodney Dangerfield
6. “Do what you want, when you want” – Unknown
7. “I’m not a self-centered jerk, I’m just focused.” — Unknown
8. “Some people are so selfish that they only think of themselves on their birthday.” — Unknown
9. “Be selfish with your time” – Unknown
10. “Buy yourself things that make you happy” – Unknown
11. “I’m not selfish, I just know what I want.” — Unknown
12. “I’m not a self-centered egotistical person. I’m just better than you.” — Unknown
13. “I’m not selfish, I’m just not used to sharing.” — Unknown
14. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little bit self-centered. Just don’t make it an obsession.” — Unknown
15. “I’m not selfish, I’m just not used to sharing.” – Unknown
15 Wise Quotes About Selfishness
1. “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” – Benjamin Disraeli
2. “To be selfish is to live for one’s self alone; to be altruistic is to live for others.” – Albert Schweitzer
3. “The greatest selfish pleasure is the one for which we are most selfishly prepared.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. “Of course I’m selfish. What else is there?” -Oscar Wilde
5. “There is only one selfishness, and that is life itself.” -Woody Allen
6. “Selfish people are the most boring people in the world. They only care about themselves and what they want.” – George Carlin
7. “Selfish people are never satisfied.” – Dalai Lama
8. ” A selfish man is a thief.” – JoseMarti
9. “The most selfish of all creatures is an ungrateful man.” – Thomas Fuller
10. “Selfish people are always ready to take, but never ready to give.” – Khalil Gibran
11. “Selfishness is the art of losing friends and influence.” – Dale Carnegie
12. “Selfishness doesn’t really exist, it is merely a product of a society that tells us we should be selfish.” – Unknown
13. “Selfishness is the art of obtaining what you want at the expense of others.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
14. “Selfishness is not a vice, it is virtue. Selfishness is the only way to achieve anything.” – Ayn Rand
15. “Selfishness is the quality which relates man to himself.” – Benjamin Franklin
15 Strong Quotes About Selfishness
1. “Being selfish means that you care more about what you want then what other people want.” – Unknown
2. “I am not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” — Jackie Robinson
3. “Selfishness makes you ugly.” – Unknown
4. “Selfish people are always looking for attention.” – Unknown
5. “Do not think of yourself as selfish if you take care of yourself first. You cannot give what you do not have.” — Anonymous
6. “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” — Edward Everett Hale
7. “Selfishness is a cancer that destroys relationships.” – Unknown
8. “There is nothing wrong with putting yourself first. In fact, it is actually one of the most selfless things you can do.” — Anonymous
9. “If you are always giving, you will never have anything to give.” — Unknown
10. “Selfishness is the most destructive force in human nature.”
11. “It is not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It is necessary.” — Mandy Hale
12. “Selfish people are always taking, and never giving.” – Unknown
13. “You need to know how to be your own best friend before you can be somebody else’s.” — Unknown
14. “Selfish people are always looking for a way to get ahead, without caring who they hurt.” – Unknown
15. “Selfishness is the most destructive human emotion.” – Unknown
Takeaway
The best way to sum up these 100+ selfish quotes is that they are all about putting yourself first. There’s no harm in looking out for number one as long as you don’t step on anyone else along the way. With this in mind, use these quotes to motivate and empower you to achieve your goals without feeling guilty or bad about it. What do you think of these quotes? Are they in line with your personal beliefs? Let us know in the comments below!