This was a whole different emotional tone , more peevish but less selfish.

这种心境与以前完全不同，更加的倔强，却少了自私。

youdao

A last, almost selfish thought, and less heroic than the rest, but which was intolerable to him.

最后这一念，几乎是自私的，不如其他思想那样光明磊落，但这一念使他不能忍受。

youdao

This sounds selfish, but in fact, it's less selfish, because it means I'm not waiting for a gold star.

听上去自私，可是实际上，这不算自私的，因为这说明我没有在等着拿小星星。

youdao