Abraham Lincoln once stated that selfishness prompts all good deeds. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

This discussion question is truly intriguing and one that makes me wonder more about the existence of altruism. I do agree with Abraham Lincoln's statement that selfishness prompts all good deeds because an individual's nature is designed to be more selfish due to facts such as survival. However, I do think that there may be some kind of true and pure altruism existing at times and think that one's actions certainly can be motivated solely by a concern for another. Still, I do not think this occurs very often. I believe that individuals more often become motivated due to personal gain. Helping others helps oneself in the end. If one does something for another individual, he or...