QoTD: Moral Philosophy Edition

Since inequalities of privilege are greater than could possibly be defended rationally, the intelligence of privileged groups is usually applied to the task of inventing specious proofs for the theory that universal values spring from, and that general interests are served by, the special privileges which they hold.
-- Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society [Source: Yves Smith's post]

Here's another version:

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
-- John Kenneth Galbraith [Source: Brainy Quotes]