Be willing to tolerate selfishness, and then you can be public; practice tolerant of temperament, and then you can cultivate. ——Xun Kuang, a thinker in the late Warring States period Xunzi "Xunzi·Confucianism Effect" Selfish quotes

If gold is a mixture of copper and iron, it will not be refined; if virtue is a mixture of copper and iron, it will not be pure. ——Xue Xuan, an official and Neo-Confucian scholar in the Ming Dynasty, "Study Record·Experience"

A person must get rid of his stubborn selfishness and give his personality the right to express freely. ——Russian 19th-century novelist Turgenev

Some people find it a joy to be able to sacrifice their lives and to use sacrifice to express deep and selfless sympathy for mankind. ——French thinker and writer Romain Rolland's famous sayings about selfishness

The winner of selfishness can destroy the public. ——Lin Bu, a reclusive poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, "Records of Saving Heart"

If people want to be aware of their own dignity, they must be humble. Indeed, human nature is dignified, but it is still unclear and incomplete. To say that human beings are dignified can only be limited to situations where they are selfless, altruistic, compassionate, emotional, and willing to sacrifice themselves for other creatures and the universe. As long as aggression is motivated by greed, man will have no dignity. Aggression out of greed is a common thing in the world, but it is shameful. Our poverty in ethical behavior is even more shameful than our glorious achievements in technology.

——British historian Toynbee, "The Choice of Life" Selfish Quotes