Quotation by
Joseph Butler
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.
Advertisement
Understanding this quote AI Analysis
Joseph Butler is saying that self-love is focused on using outside things only because they help us feel happy or good, not because we value those things on their own. In contrast, specific feelings or attachments are directed toward the external things themselves, not just what they bring us.
More by this author
All quotes by Joseph Butler →