In the same way that the adolescent realizes there's…

In the same way that the adolescent realizes there's more to the world than the child's pleasure or pain, the adult realizes that there's more to the world than the adolescent's constant bargain-ing for validation, approval, and satisfaction. Becoming an adult is therefore developing the ability to do what is right for the simple reason that it is right.

— from True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values) · Everything is Fcked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson*

In the book

"Becoming an adult is developing the ability to do what is right for the simple reason that it is right." There is a way to die in an airplane that has nothing to do with engines or weather. […] But the wiring is just the start. The real work is moral maturity, and here is its definition: becoming an adult means developing the ability to do what is right for the simple reason that it is right — not for reward, not for approval, not from fear of getting caught. The childish version of morality is "I like it"; the adolescent version is "the group approves"; the grown version is a standard that holds even when the self and the group both pull the other way. […] That, in the end, is what the old question "how should I live?" is really asking — about the proper orientation of everything you do, your true north, your moral center. Trust the instrument over the feeling. When fear, greed, or the crowd say down is up, hold your heading and do the right thing because it's right. Keep your word. Integrity is making and keeping commitments; let your word be immeasurable. — True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values)

Also belongs to

Related