There is indeed a certain sense of gratification when we do a good deed that gives us inward satisfaction, and a generous pride that accompanies a good conscience… These testimonies of a good conscience are pleasant; and such a natural pleasure is very beneficial to us; it is the only payment that can never fail. “On Repentance Michel De Montaigne
About This Quote

We all have a good conscience, but that doesn't mean that we feel good about ourselves. One of the main reasons people want to be better is to feel good about themselves. People want to feel good about themselves because it gives them a sense of community and belonging. It is another way of saying that people want to feel included and valued.

Some people feel guilty every day because they don't feel as though they are living up to their own standards of goodness. They want to feel as though they are doing something right, which makes them feel as though they belong in the world.

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More Quotes By Michel De Montaigne
  1. If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I.
  2. The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
  3. I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself.
  4. I quote others only in order the better to express myself.
  5. Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens.
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