Ethical egoism claims that our only duty is to do what's good for ourselves. What makes an action right is that it promotes one's own best interest. Different egoists have different ideas about what's in their best interest. Many are hedonists who believe that the more pleasure they get, the better off they are. Others measure the quality of their lives in terms of the knowledge, power, or self-realization they attain. Ethical egoism does not require you to do only what you want to do - because what you want to do may not be in your best interest. Nor does ethical egoism require that you perform only selfish acts - acts that benefit you at the expense of others. Clever egoists act generously in the short term in hopes of promoting their best interests in the long term.