• Selfishness is the bedrock on which all moral behavior starts and it can be immoral only when it conflicts with a higher moral imperative.

    Robert A. Heinlein: Selfishness is the bedrock on which all moral behavior starts and it can be immoral only when it conflicts with a higher moral imperative.
    "The Pragmatics of Patriotism". Address at the U.S. Naval Academy, April 5, 1973.