Definition of Motive

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Motive

That which moves; a mover.

That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object.

The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading.

That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one.

Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power.

To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Related Definitions:

Action, Also, And, Any, Anything, Argument, Art, Artist, As, By, Cause, Causing, Conception, Controlling, Course, Creation, Exciting, Figure, Germ, Guiding, Having, His, Idea, In, Incite, Inducement, Invention, Is, Leading, Manifested, Melodic, Mind, Motion, Motive, Move, Movement, Mover, Moving, Object, Of, One, Or, Out, Part, Passage, Phrase, Power, Prompt, Prompting, Reason, See, Short, Subject, Tending, That, The, Theme, Through, To, Under, Undertaking, Varied, Which, Whole, Will, Work

Motive Quotations

Do not ever say that the desire to "do good" by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives.
Ayn Rand

For a war to be just three conditions are necessary - public authority, just cause, right motive.
Ernest Hemingway

To withdraw myself from myself has ever been my sole, my entire, my sincere motive in scribbling at all.
Lord Byron

We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive.
Lord Byron

Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
Eric Hoffer

It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
Eric Hoffer

The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.
William Butler Yeats

The atmosphere is much too near for dreams. It forces us to action. It is close to us. We are in it and of it. It rouses us both to study and to do. We must know its moods and also its motive forces.
Cleveland Abbe

How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure.
William James

America - a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.
Herbert Hoover

Motive Translations

motive in Dutch is aanleiding
motive in Finnish is vaikutin
motive in French is occasion, lieu, motif
motive in German is Beweggrund, Motiv
motive in Italian is motivo
motive in Latin is causa
motive in Portuguese is motriz
motive in Spanish is motivo, lugar

Quotes