Can we be selfish and yet wise?

Learning Point No 322
A quote for Vesak 

Do read the quote below and understand why many have misconstrued the non-ego doctrine of saints as that any man should not think of himself. (PS How could he then want to think of spiritual attainment - being with God, saving his own soul or being enlightened.)

That would be denial of self. How then can that man think of others, care for them when he does not want to care for himself. That would be making oneself the sacrificial goat for the benefit of others. 

You can say that that man is trying to deny his self that is, have selfless self - obviously contradictory and a foolish opinion of self. 

You may say this is being "foolishly selfish in aberrant way" by trying to think he don't matter, that his self or identity don't exist. 

Saints do discourage a man from thinking only of himself and caring only for himself at expense of others. This self-centered approach at expense of others being that much outright detrimental to both self and all would be considered "foolishly selfish". 

But saints want a man to think of himself in wise way, to take care of self and that way better able to take care of others better. 

The Dalai Lama has referred to this as the correct way to be. He aptly term this as "truly selfish",  that is, selfishness that is good and true for the benefit of one and all - both self and others.

Marble image of Lord Bo Tien
with feet balancing yin and yang

The avoidance of the two extremes of unwise selfishness requires balancing - the balancing of dualities - the yin and yang. This is referred to by Lord Bo Tien and is depicted in his image with feet atop and balancing yin and yang. 

Buddhists refer to this as the Middle Way

What is the take of His Holiness The Dalai Lama on selfishness and can men be selfish in wise way?  

Let us read what he had said and reflect mindfully holistically and wholesomely. 

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

“We can also approach the importance of compassion through intelligent reasoning. If I help another person, and show concerns for him or her, then I myself will benefit from that. However, if I harm others, eventually I will be in trouble. I often joke, half sincerely and half seriously, saying that if we wish to be truly selfish, we should be wisely selfish rather than foolishly selfish. Our intelligence can help to adjust our attitude in this respect. If we use it well, we can gain insight as to how we can fulfill our own self-interest by leading a compassionate way of life.” 

His Holiness The Dalai Lama