Selfishness is the law of all life.

Each thing, from the farthest fixed star to the smallest insect crawling on the earth, fighting for itself according to its strength; and brooding over all, the Eternal, working for _Himself_: that is the universe." "Have some whisky," said MacShaughnassy; "and don't be so complicatedly metaphysical.

You make my head ache." "If all action, good and bad, spring from selfishness," replied Brown, "then there must be good selfishness and bad selfishness: and your bad selfishness is my plain selfishness, without any adjective, so we are back where we started.

I say selfishness--bad selfishness--is the root of all evil, and there you are bound to agree with me." "Not always," persisted Jephson; "I've known selfishness--selfishness according to the ordinarily accepted meaning of the term--to be productive of good actions.

I can give you an instance, if you like." "Has it got a moral ?" asked MacShaughnassy, drowsily, Jephson mused a moment.