The fact is that people are good, Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior.

The statement reflects Maslow’s broadly humanistic view that people’s “better nature” emerges under supportive conditions. Rather than treating aggression, selfishness, or anxiety as fixed traits, it implies they are often reactions to deprivation—especially of love, belonging, and safety. In Maslow’s framework, when basic needs for security and acceptance are met, individuals are freer to relate warmly, regulate themselves, and act constructively. The quote also carries a social implication: institutions (families, schools, workplaces, governments) that provide stability and care can cultivate prosocial behavior, whereas environments of threat and neglect tend to elicit defensiveness and mistrust.