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Motives


Motives

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Quotations

Alexandre DumasWomen inspire us to do great things and prevent us from accomplishing them.

—  Alexandre Dumas, 1802-1870, French writer

10 likes
Jean DutourdWomen do not sleep with men, but with abstract concepts: power, power, reputation, money, fashion…

—  Jean Dutourd, 1920-2011, French writer

10 likes
St Bernard de ClairvauxThe road to hell is paved with good intentions.

—  St Bernard de Clairvaux, 1091-1153, French saint & abbot of the Cistercian order

9 likes
NapoleonMen are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest.

—  Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor

9 likes
Zig ZiglarPeople don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.

—  Zig Ziglar, 1926-2012, American self-help writer

7 likes
Thomas JeffersonThere is no act, however virtuous, for which ingenuity may not find some bad motive.

—  Thomas Jefferson, 1749-1826, American President [1801-1809]

6 likes
NapoleonA soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.

—  Napoleon, 1769-1821, French Emperor

5 likes
Eugene IonescoPeople always try to find base motives behind every good action. We are afraid of pure goodness and of pure evil.

—  Eugene Ionesco, 1912-1994, French-Romanian playwright

5 likes
Baltasar GracianIn twenty years the feelings reigns, in the thirty years a talent reigns, in the forty years a reason reigns.

—  Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658, Spanish writer

5 likes
Bertolt BrechtI don’t like where I’m going and I don’t like where I’ve been. Why am I in a hurry?

—  Bertolt Brecht, 1898-1956, German writer

5 likes
Bob DylanPeople seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.

—  Bob Dylan, 1941-, American singer [Nobel 2016]

4 likes
Friedrich von SchlegelWhoever does not philosophize for the sake of philosophy, but rather uses philosophy as a means, is a sophist.

—  Friedrich von Schlegel, 1772-1829, German writer

4 likes
Michael CaineFirst of all, I choose the great roles, and if none of these come, I choose the mediocre ones, and if they don't come, I choose the ones that pay the rent.

—  Michael Caine, 1933-, English actor

4 likes
AristotleThus every action must be due to one or other of seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reasoning, anger, or appetite.

—  Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

3 likes
Joseph RouxReason guides but a small part of man, and the rest obeys feeling, true or false, and passion, good or bad.

—  Joseph Roux, 1834-1905, French clergyman & poet

3 likes
Peter DruckerHistory has been written not by the most talented but by the most motivated.

—  Peter Drucker, 1909–2005, Austrian management guru

3 likes
Lou HoltzThe way you motivate a football team is to eliminate the unmotivated ones.

—  Lou Holtz, 1937-, American football coach

3 likes
James BarrieNever ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own.

—  James Barrie, 1860-1937, English writer

3 likes
Vincent Van GoghLet’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and that to those we obey without knowing it.

—  Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter

3 likes
Ayn RandA creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

—  Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher

2 likes
Niccolò MachiavelliMen are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

—  Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Italian political philosopher

2 likes
Zig ZiglarPeople often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.

—  Zig Ziglar, 1926-2012, American self-help writer

2 likes
John DrydenKings fight for empires, madmen for applause.

—  John Dryden, 1631-1700, English poet

2 likes
Marlen DietrichLove for the joy of loving, and not for the offerings of someone else’s heart.

—  Marlen Dietrich, 1901-1992, German-American actress

2 likes
Jean RostandHe who kills out of selfishness kills a little. Out of ambition, a lot. From ideology, monstrously.

—  Jean Rostand, 1894-1977, French scientist & philosopher

Thomas CarlyleA person usually has two reasons for doing something, a good reason and the real reason.

—  Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, English writer

Gertrude SteinI write for myself and strangers. The strangers, dear Readers, are an afterthought.

—  Gertrude Stein, 1874-1946, American writer

Lenny BruceThe whole motivation for any performer is “Look at me, Ma”.

—  Lenny Bruce, 1925-1966, American comedian

George EliotCruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.

—  George Eliot, 1819-1880, English writer

Nikos KazantzakisDon't be tempted to ask, “Will we win? Will we be defeated?” Just fight!

—  Nikos Kazantzakis, 1883-1957, Greek writer

Antoine RivarolThe mischief of children is seldom actuated by malice; that of grown-up people always is.

—  Antoine Rivarol, 1753-1801, French author of maxims

Gustave FlaubertYou don’t make art out of good intentions.

—  Gustave Flaubert, 1821-1880, French writer

Joseph CampbellThe quest for fire occurred not because anyone knew what the practical uses for fire would be, but because it was fascinating.

—  Joseph Campbell, 1904-1987, American academic

Sri AurobindoThe only work that spiritually purifies us is that which is done without personal motives.

—  Sri Aurobindo, 1872-1950, Indian nationalist, yogi & philosopher

Ernest RenanLet us remember that sorrow alone is the creator of great things.

—  Ernest Renan, 1823-1892, French philosopher & historian

Jules VerneWhat you do for money you do badly.

—  Jules Verne, 1826-1905, French writer

Dale CarnegiePeople do things for “their” reasons, not ours. So find their reasons.

—  Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American self-help writer

Dale CarnegieWhen dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.

—  Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American self-help writer

Marty RubinNo one plants rosebushes for the thorns.

—  Marty Rubin, 1930-1994, Canadian gay activist, author & journalist

P.J. O’ RourkeMost of the people who have grabbed hold of climate change and greenhouse gases, pollution, oil dependency - they have another motive, and their motive is to attain the appearance of virtue without having actually done anything virtuous.

—  P.J. O’ Rourke, 1947-2022, American columnist & writer

Philip DickI'm a strange person. Sometimes I hardly know what I'm going to do or say next. Sometimes I seem a stranger to myself. Sometimes what I do surprises me and I can't understand why I do it.

—  Philip Dick, 1928-1982, American sci-fi writer

Ayn RandYou must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the secondary consequences.

—  Ayn Rand, 1905-1982, American writer & philosopher

Arthur Conan DoyleThe larger crimes are apt to be the simpler, for the bigger the crime, the more obvious, as a rule, is the motive.

—  Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, British writer

Alphonse de LamartinIt is admirable to die the victim of one's faith; it is sad to die the dupe of one's ambition.

—  Alphonse de Lamartin, 1790-1869, French poet

Carl von ClausewitzThe more physical the activity, the less the difficulties will be. The more the activity becomes intellectual and turns into motives, which exercise a determining influence on the commander’s will, the more the difficulties will increase.

—  Carl von Clausewitz, 1780-1831, Prussian military theorist

Thomas SowellIt is amazing how many people think that they can answer an argument by attributing bad motives to those who disagree with them. Using this kind of reasoning, you can believe or not believe anything about anything, without having to bother to deal with facts or logic.

—  Thomas Sowell, 1930 -, American political thinker

Ancient Greek

Marcus AureliusFocus on the essence of a thing, whether it be through actions or motives or appearances.

Πρόσεχε τω υποκειμένω ή τη ενεργεία ή τω δόγματι ή τω σημαινομένω.

—  Marcus Aurelius, 121-180 AD, Roman Emperor ‐ Meditations VII, 22

     ((Hannibal Lecter paraphrased this…))

6 likes
Periander of CorinthDo nothing only for money.

Μηδέν χρημάτων ένεκα πράττειν.

—  Periander of Corinth, 668-584 BC, tyrant of Corinth

5 likes
PlatoAll wars are made for the acquisition of assets.

Δια την των χρημάτων κτήσιν πάντες οι πόλεμοι γίγνονται.

—  Plato, 427-347 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

3 likes

Proverbs

Chinese proverbA bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

—  Chinese proverb

4 likes

Movie Quotes

Stalker (1979)A man writes because he is tormented, because he doubts. He needs to constantly prove to himself and the others that he's worth something. And if I know for sure that I'm a genius? Why write then? What the hell for?

—  from the film Stalker (1979)

5 likes



Similar categories & topics of Quotations






Similar Topics

Cause & Effect

Necessity

Self-interest

Explanations

Goals

Ambition

Doing

Manipulation

Psychology

Desire

Understanding people

Contrary Topics

Indifference

Quitting

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2024: Manolis Papathanassiou