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How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others.
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“How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others.”

Adam Smith

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Source
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Date
1759
Meaning

Meaning of “How selfish soever man may be supposed, there…”

Smith opens his moral theory by arguing that human beings possess capacities for fellow-feeling even when another person’s welfare offers no material advantage.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part I, Section I, Chapter I “Of Sympathy”; represented by Project Gutenberg’s 1777 Dublin edition.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

CommunityCompassionFriendshipHelping OthersHumanityKindnessPhilosophyRelationshipServiceThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTrustUnderstandingEmpathy
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every unostentatious word or smile that shows a heart awake to others
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“every unostentatious word or smile that shows a heart awake to others”

George Eliot · Daniel Deronda · 1876
Voice: Narrator voice · Narrator
Meaning & context

The phrase values small, unshowy signs of attention because they reveal active awareness of other people rather than performative benevolence.

Source details

Daniel Deronda; narrator-level phrase in a passage about unnoticed social influence and responsiveness to others.

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Love a man even in his sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth.
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“Love a man even in his sin, for that is the semblance of Divine Love and is the highest love on earth.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky · The Brothers Karamazov · 1880
Voice: Fictional character · Father Zossima
Meaning & context

Father Zossima separates care for a person from approval of wrongdoing, locating mercy inside his explicitly Christian teaching that human failure should not extinguish love.

Source details

The Brothers Karamazov, Book VI, Chapter 3, Constance Garnett translation, verified against Project Gutenberg #28054 and Wikisource. Father Zossima urges his listeners to love a person even in sin as a likeness of divine love; the statement remains explicitly Christian fictional exhortation, not uncomplicated Dostoevsky autobiography.

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There was no end either to her stories or her kindness.
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“There was no end either to her stories or her kindness.”

Sarah Orne Jewett · Deephaven · 1877
Voice: Fictional narrator · First-person narrator
Meaning & context

The narrator joins generosity and storytelling in one portrait, suggesting that attention, memory and hospitality can be experienced together as forms of kindness.

Source details

Deephaven, represented within Project Gutenberg #15985, Deephaven and Selected Stories & Sketches. The first-person visiting narrator is characterizing a local woman after extended conversation; it is fictional/regional narration rather than Jewett autobiography.

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Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble.
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“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble.”

Paul the Apostle · King James Bible — 2 Corinthians 1:4 · 1611
Meaning & context

Received comfort becomes a responsibility toward others, turning personal experience of difficulty into practical empathy and support.

Source details

2 Corinthians 1:4 in the King James Version; the clause is excerpted before the verse repeats the source of comfort.

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