Heh, this reminds me of a quote from John C. Wright's The Golden Age:
"Very selfish -- provided you define the word 'selfish' to mean that which most educates, and most perfects the self, making the self just and true and beautiful. Which is, I assume, the way selves want themselves to be, yes?"
"I cannot speak for other selves; I will not be satisfied with anything less than the best Phaethon I can Phaethon."
"My dear boy, are you using yourself as a verb?"
"I'm feeling fairly intransitive at the moment, Rhadamanthus."