"None of the books have time" by Philip Larkin

None of the books have time
To say how selfless feels,
They make it sound a superior way
Of getting what you want. It isn't at all.

Selflessness is like waiting in a hospital
In a badly-fitting suit on a cold wet morning.
Selfishness is like listening to good jazz
With drinks for further orders and a huge fire.


-- Philip Larkin, "None of the books have time," 1960. Recommended by a friend.