Most of us probably believe that people are naturally and primarily selfish. Generosity, when it occurs, is some kind of fluke. Eknath Easwaran, a spiritual teacher who started the students off with the Prayer of St. Francis, says that the reason that we need this particular prayer is because "most of us suffer from the mistaken belief that it is in grabbing that we receive, it is in venting anger that we improve our relationships, and it is in having our own way that we find fulfillment."
— Beatrice Bruteau, The Holy Thursday Revolution