Famous Quotes of Ayn Rand

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Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was a famous philosopher and writer whose opinions continue to stir up controversy to this day. She was born to a Jewish family in Russia and this encounter with communism heavily influenced her political ideologies. She founded the Objectivism philosophy, which promotes stolid rationalism, laissez-faire capitalism, a general focus on the self-interest of individual. This way of thinking is championed in many of her essays and fictions, including Anthem, Atlas Shrugged, and The Virtue of Selfishness. Though the academic world has not fully accepted this reasoning, it has had a great deal of influence on the Libertarian ideology and American conservatism.

‘Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves ‘ or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth.’

Many cultures teach people that life is inherently a difficult path we must tread and that peace will only come after death. However, Rand presents the idea that we must strive for heaven in the everyday, that life can and should be joyous. Accepting life as nothing but a journey of misery is a flawed way of thinking.

‘ Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.’

Privacy is essential for a human being to live in a civilized way. It shows advancement of humankind politically and ideologically. The person begins thinking of themselves as an individual, rather than a part of a collective. This quote is clearly a little dated, as imperialist undertones shine through with ‘tribe’ versus ‘civilized society’ comparison.

‘From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man ‘ the function of his reasoning mind.’

Objectivism values the human capacity for reason above all else, an attribute of the philosophy that is clearly expressed in this quote. Humans would be no better than animals if we were not able to take our minds away from more primal modes of thought. Instead, we are able to turn away from these things and focus on building and/or conceptualizing great things.

‘Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.’

This quote emphasizes the individualistic ideologies that Rand continuously championed in her writing and philosophical pursuits. The only way you can show your own self-worth is to drive for happiness. It is never acceptable to lay down and accept

‘Why do they always teach us that it’s easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves? It’s the hardest thing in the world–to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage. I mean, what we really want.’

From womb to tomb we are told that restraint and good behavior according to dictations of others. It is heavily engrained in the human brain to be accepted, for we are social creatures. To follow your own path is one of the bravest things you can do. Not only are you straying from the herd, but you are opening yourself up to criticism in the process.

‘You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.’

Reality can be an overwhelming thing at times and it is common for people to try to shut it out for the sake of their mental health. However, reality always finds a way of seeping through those barriers. Attempting to avoid it is a fruitless effort, because there are always consequences of ignoring it. This is especially true for political atrocities.

‘A government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims.’

The government is usually thought of as a benevolent force in society that maintains structure and order for the sake of the people. Here, Rand points out that it is an establishment with a great deal of authority and ability to bully their helpless people with weapons.

‘I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals and I loathe humanity for its failure to live up to these possibilities.’

Again, this returns to the idea that individuals can perform at their highest when they are simply themselves and pursue their own ideas. Yet society has largely extinguished this part of people and Rand believes humanity has not reached its full potential because of this fact.

‘The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.’

Death hovers over everyone because it is the one thing that no one can escape, but this should not keep you from living your life. It gives human beings a deadline for accomplishing everything that they can.

‘People create their own questions because they are afraid to look straight. All you have to do is look straight and see the road, and when you see it, don’t sit looking at it – walk.’

Second-guessing keeps people from doing what they want to do. The desire of the individual is paramount in Rand’s philosophy, so to second-guess is criminal. It is essential that one doesn’t create problems for themselves and simply pursue their desires.

‘The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.’

Asking permission to do things will keep extraordinary things from happening, as some of the best ideas are not initially acceptable to others. It is only until you do it that others will begin to warm up to what you’ve done.

‘There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.’

When one has a strong opinion, they are aware and engaged with the world and the issues plaguing it. They are coming from a particular perspective. The fence sitter is evil because they are either uninformed, complacent, or waiting to see whom the winner of the fight will be. This also reflects the idea that there is no gray area between right and wrong.

‘Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone.’

Reason is the only advantage that men have above animals in Rand’s eyes. Those who deny reason are dangerous people that cannot be counted on and cannot be argued with. It is best just to let them be and leave them to their fate.

‘The most depraved type of human being is the man without a purpose.’

Human beings are creatures of action by nature. The only way we have survived is by constantly innovating and inventing. A man without a purpose is a man without direction or drive. It is a man who is not fully taking advantage of his faculties of reason, which in Rand’s eyes is nothing short of a sin.

‘It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.’

Though the term ‘sacrifice’ typically comes with positive connotations, Rand points out that while the act of sacrifice itself may seem selfless, those encouraging the sacrifices are usually the ones benefitting. Again, there is that constant reminder to question authority and the attitudes we commonly accept as a culture.

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