The article examines the phenomenon of moral ‘schizophrenia’ of modern ethical theories — egoism, utilitarianism and deontology — arising from the gap between the declared reasons-values and real human motives. Such a gap excludes love, friendship and sympathy from the field of ethics, impoverishing moral practice and making it psychologically unviable. In the article, the author shows some of the limitations that motivation imposes on ethical theory and life, and advances our understanding of the relationship between reason and motive, critically comparing these theories, demonstrating that their acceptance leads to either an impoverished or a bifurcated moral life.