I met an old lady once, almost a hundred years old, and she told me, 'There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me? And Who's in charge?

Elizabeth Gilbert
About This Quote

The above quote is often used as an example of how to be a good influence on young people. The way past generations have fought over the meaning of these two questions is to try to change the world. This is not necessarily a bad strategy, it is very important to set our visions on a high level and try to change the world for the better. But, the problem with this approach is that it does not take into account human nature, human nature being defined as people who are motivated first by self-interest.

To change the world first, you must first understand how it works, what motivates people. Then you must look at some of the problems that are common in our society. One of those problems being that people are very self-interested and will do all that they can to get ahead.

However, some people are not able to get ahead because they lack motivation or desire to do so. That’s where the old lady comes in with her advice about how to change the world. And, if changing it means changing what motivates people then she has done her job well.

Source: Eat, Pray, Love

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