Altruism is innate, but it’s not instinctual. Everybody’s wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped. – David Rakoff
In brief, egoism in its modern interpretation, is the antithesis, not of altruism, but of idealism. – John Buchanan Robinson
Most men have always wanted as much as they could get; and possession has always blunted the fine edge of their altruism. – Katharine Elizabeth Fullerton Gerould