Basic Writings

On Human Actions and Their Motives

On Human Actions and Their Motives 45 Observing the motives for his behavior is useless for the practical person , indeed disturbing and harmful to his activity, but very useful for the theoretical person. 46 Every action arises out of a mosaic of motives without our being able to tell from how much egoism, vanity, pride, fear, benevolence, etc., it is composed . The philosopher cannot, like the chemist, apply a quantitative and qualitative analysis to the case. In any case, the expressions “egoism,” “vanity,” etc., do not at all coincide with the feelings they indicate; they are really only pointers. 47 We usually think our actions are determined by our principles, when in fact our principles are determined by our actions. 48 The motives of our most splendid acts often resemble those substances from which white paper is made. 49 Our moral behavior depends on our will; our moral character, in contrast , (the goodness and badness of our heart) does not depend on our will. Accordingly, our moral behavior can be improved by experience and instruction , but our moral character is constant. 50 Our attentions to others, which seem to be the direct expression of our affection and goodness, are always the result of a deliberation that goes into the smallest detail. 51 One admits one’s stupidities to show that one is clever enough to be aware of them. 52 We complain that we have been made hard and bad by the world to encourage the belief that we are innately good. 53 Nobody is completely sincere toward himself; and most people have a real talent for insincerity. 54 There do not exist two people whose intimacy would not suffer from a completely unreserved openness. 55 To him who has shall be given, since he can give back.6 56 Whoever comes to the defense of his friends is usually only defending his own honor in being their friend. 57 Our actions are guided by the opinion of the world. Hence, even with things that concern ourselves exclusively, we do not so much what seems good to us as what seems good to others. on human actions and their motives 13 14 part 1: psychological observations 58 Whether we take people in general to be good or bad depends on our philosophy. But in the conduct of life, we constantly take them to be good if we ourselves are good, and to be bad if we ourselves are bad. 59 The end always justifies the means when the well-being of many can be achieved only through the suffering of a few. On this also rests the right and the necessity of punishment. 60 “He does not understand people,” that is, he takes them to be good. 61 Accidents occurring to others,which we recount in order to produce astonishment ,are never great enough for us,and so we usually take it upon ourselves to add a few more burned or crushed or drowned or poisoned victims. 62 By our good deeds we want to surprise and astonish. Hence,we prefer to give to those who have not asked us,and if we give something to the same person a second or third time, it is much less gladly than the first time, for just this reason. If one wants to receive good deeds from someone more often, one must display the greatest surprise and a boundless gratitude on each occasion. For in this way one encourages the giver to continue, since he goes on expecting the same mood. 63 The benefactor imagines that the recipient, charmed by him, cries out, “What a divinely good person,” and indeed he sheds tears over the greatness of his own benevolence. 64 The purpose of personal familiarity is neither to gather advice nor to lessen cares: one wants to be charmed by the other. 65 “We will see each other again before my departure,” one says, knowing very well that one will not see the other again.This happens sometimes to spare oneself the pain of parting, but usually to spare oneself the affectation of the pain of parting. 66 Everyone condemns flatterers, but no one can do without them. 67 Teaching alters our behavior, not our character. 68 Anyone who believes he has become morally better is usually only admitting his badness to himself less than before. 69 The person who sticks obstinately to a decision once it is...