Sentence:  In reference to Brown 's raid she wrote , `` though we are non-resistants and religiously believe it better to reform by moral and not by carnal weapons we know thee was anemated [ sic ] by the most generous and philanthropic <WSD>motives</WSD> '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior