Page "Utilitarianism" Paragraph 9

::“ happiness, private happiness, is the proper or ultimate end of all our actions … each particular action may be said to have its proper and peculiar end …( but )….

they still tend or ought to tend to something farther ; as is evident from hence, viz.

that a man may ask and expect a reason why either of them are pursued: now to ask the reason of any action or pursuit, is only to enquire into the end of it: but to expect a reason, i. e. an end, to be assigned for an ultimate end, is absurd.

To ask why I pursue happiness, will admit of no other answer than an explanation of the terms .”