"I'm a good person"...huh?

One of the strangest things that people say is, "I'm a good person." I am always amazed when people claim to know that about themselves. … History demonstrates, repeatedly, that if enough people begin to define themselves as "good" in contrast to others who are "bad," those others come to be seen as less than human.

--Kathleen Norris, in her great book Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith (hat tip: Christianity Today)