John Dee and Rosemary in “Unfinished Business”

John Dee

I admit that in the past I may have done some things that are morally … ambiguous. But it taught me about human nature and the secret of real understanding and compassion. Do you want to know what it is?

Rosemary

I do.

John Dee

This is going to sound rather odd, but the secret to having compassion for people is knowing that they are fundamentally selfish. And I say this without judgement. It's how human beings are built. It's how we're made. But if you know that going in, if you understand that we are operating out of the biological congenital selfishness, then life begins to make a lot more sense. Are you all right?

Rosemary

Uh, sorry. The phone slipped. You were saying?

John Dee

I … I was saying, knowing that people are selfish sets you free from having to take their actions, their lies, personally. People lie because they're selfish. They lie because they are human.

Rosemary

They lie because they're scared. People will say anything. Do anything to keep from being hurt. That's what I think, anyway.

John Dee

You're very good, Rosemary.

Rosemary

I don't know what you mean.

John Dee

I mean I experience people as basically selfish and you experience them as afraid. Which they are, we all are. You're absolutely right. And good. Thank you.