The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion.

Awe is the emotion of self-transcendence.

Scandal is great entertainment because it allows people to feel contempt, a moral emotion that gives feelings of moral superiority while asking nothing in return. With contempt you don't need to right the wrong (as with anger) or flee the scene (as with fear or disgust). And the best of all, contempt is made to share. Stories about the moral failings of others are among the most common kinds of gossip, they are a stable of talk radio, and they offer a ready way for people to show that they share a common moral orientation.

It's a basic fact about being human that sometimes the self seems to just melt away.

Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.

If you are in passionate love and want to celebrate your passion, read poetry. If your ardor has calmed and you want to understand your evolving relationship, read psychology. But if you have just ended a relationship and would like to believe you are better off without love, read philosophy.

Empathy is an antidote to righteousness, although it's very difficult to empathize across a moral divide