Happiness Does Not Consist In Self-love.

That Which Is The Foundation Of All Our Hopes And Of All Our Fears; All Our Hopes And Fears Which Are Of Any Consideration; I Mean A Future Life.

The Principle We Call Self-love Never Seeks Anything External For The Sake Of The Thing, But Only As A Means Of Happiness Or Good: Particular Affections Rest In The External Things Themselves.

Self-love Then Does Not Constitute This Or That To Be Our Interest Or Good; But, Our Interest Or Good Being Constituted By Nature And Supposed, Self-love Only Puts Us Upon Obtaining And Securing It.

People Habituate Themselves To Let Things Pass Through Their Minds, As One May Speak, Rather Than To Think Of Them. Thus By Use They Become Satisfied Merely With Seeing What Is Said, Without Going Any Further. Review And Attention, And Even Forming A Judgment, Becomes Fatigue; And To Lay Anything Before Them That Requires It, Is Putting Them Quite Out Of Their Way.

Love Of Our Neighbour, Then, Has Just The Same Respect To, Is No More Distant From, Self-love, Than Hatred Of Our Neighbour, Or Than Love Or Hatred Of Anything Else.