Subscribe to ListverseTop 25 Ayn Rand Quotes
- Published December 13, 2007 - 97 Comments
Ayn Rand, was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher. She is widely known for her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism. She was an uncompromising advocate of rational individualism and laissez-faire capitalism, and vociferously opposed socialism, altruism, and other contemporary philosophical trends. She is generally either hated or loved. Her objectivist philosophy had a strong influence on the evolution of the Libertarian political philosophy movement (though she rejected the title). Here are 25 of her more profound quotes.
Quotes 1 – 5
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Do not ever say that the desire to “do good” by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives.
5. 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.
Quotes 6 – 10
6. Government “help” to business is just as disastrous as government persecution… the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.
7. I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
8. Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
9. 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.
10. Man’s unique reward, however, is that while animals survive by adjusting themselves to their background, man survives by adjusting his background to himself.
Quotes 11 – 15
11. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue.
12. Only the man who does not need it, is fit to inherit wealth, the man who would make his fortune no matter where he started.
13. 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.
14. Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone.
15. Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter.
Quotes 16 – 20
16. The man who lets a leader prescribe his course is a wreck being towed to the scrap heap.
17. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws
18. The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.
19. The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.
20. There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.
Quotes 21 – 25
21. There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist.
22. We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.
23. When I die, I hope to go to Heaven, whatever the Hell that is.
24. Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think.
25. The most depraved type of human being is the man without a purpose.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Yep, some of her thoughts are indeed profound. However, Libertarianism stinks! Abolish public schools indeed! Bunch of elitist pricks.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:22 am
To be honest I am quite keen on the idea of homeschooling and charity run schools instead of government schools
December 13th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Im one of the ones who loves Ayn Rand. I knew wierd huh.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Great… now I’m going to go play Bioshock again…
December 13th, 2007 at 10:31 am
jfrater: homeschooling and charity-run schools are fine. There are, however, a lot of stupid parents out there who are completely incapable of providing even a rudimentary education to their children. And, should you happen to be poor, and there’s not a charity school in the neighborhood, you’re basically screwed. I honestly believe providing basic education to every child, regardless of race, creed or immigration status, is in the best interest of everyone. That said, the state of education in the US is pathetic, frightening and shameful. Rant over … ;p
December 13th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Sewermutant: Over there is our library.
Bender: Nothing buy crappy porno and Ayn Rand.
Futurama rocks.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I completely agree with NoPunyNerd. My wife was home schooled for the first 10 grades and then went to a charity run school for the rest and I can personally attest to the many things lacking in her education.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I find it interesting the turn of quote lists recently. I think however if you are going to provide quotes from philosophical ideals you should have many opposing different points of view. How about some Bentham? Locke? Nietzsche? Marx? Plato? I think if we’re gonna get started on philosophies we should have a wide variety of views represented. But I’ll leave the list writing to you . . .
December 13th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Mystern: this is my third quote list from a philosophical view – you will get the rest – just give me time
Though I won’t quote Marx – he was a scum bag 
Juggz: I am with you
I don’t understand why she is so hated by so many people -she preached liberty – how can that be a bad thing?
December 13th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Mystern: oh – and unless your wife grew up in poverty in India or Africa, she didn’t attend the type of charity school I am talking about
I am referring to the quality of education received in the Middle Ages through monastery run schools which gave incredible Classical educations that put us to shame today.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:58 am
WHAT!? No Marx!? Okay, I understand. And just to clarify, I was only giving you a hard time . . . Just make sure you include Bentham.
And thanks for that clarification. She went to a private Christian school run entirely by donations. Ugh . . .
December 13th, 2007 at 11:01 am
#15: She’s right. Money is not evil. Money doesn’t have the capacity for evil. Like Time, it’s something we created to keep score.
So many people like to use the Bible verse to say that money is evil. Actually, the Bible says,”For the LOVE of money is the ROOT of all evil.”
It’s not the nickels and dimes folks, it’s the way evil grows out of someone’s love for money, rather than for his family, friends, etc.
People that will tell you money is evil only say that because they don’t have any and they want some.
December 13th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Well put yarr, well put!!
December 13th, 2007 at 11:52 am
jf:Hey careful, according to Time mag India has 5 of the top 50 schools on the planet, along with the most toughest engineering entrance exam ever(IIT-JEE).
Oh im with you Atom!!….BIOSHOCK!!
December 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Harsha: sorry – I was not meaning to sound like I consider India ill-educated – I was referring to the extremely impoverished regions – people there dno’t go to those top 5 schools – they are schooled by people like Mother Theresa’s order.
Yarr: brilliant – so true. In fact, the love of money is what the commandment about false gods is meant to be about – putting money in the place of God.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Bioshock worth buying? any good?
December 13th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Bioshock is gonna win game of the year 2007. Totally. Just my opinion. Definitely worth the money.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Oh I like her very much. Good list. =)
December 13th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
evan: You need two supercomps to run it at decent settings. Gameplay is unique but not verry different. Graphix good but its not like Crysis. Still the game is good and worth buying!
I have a 8800 GTX still i get bad frame rates at high settings
December 13th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
That’s why you get the XBox Version.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
jfrater: How is Marx a scum bag? He taught about equality and the elimination of class. The true communism that Marx wrote about in his Communist Manifesto will never exist. There are to many power hungry people. After the October Revolution, the people that lead it forgot to dissolve the government that still had defined classes.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
adawson – equality is evil if it involves stealing from some to give to others. True equality is when we all have the same opportunities and can enjoy the benefits of our efforts. Equality does not mean we all have the same. That is mediocrity which, to my mind is the greatest sin. Also – if his ideas are impossible, they are of no use and should be forgotten. And no one forgot to disolve anything – the tsar was the ultimate authority and they murdered him.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
J: I’d like to add two things: First, any system of government cannot function the ideal way on a large scale. Second, Marxism (or communism for that matter) is an economic philosophy.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Oh – and I forgot to say – the manifesto is one of the worst pieces of literature I have ever read – it astounds me that people still go on about it. Marx was a moron and his theory has resulted in genocide all across the world
December 13th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
mystern: “religion is the opiate of the masses” – that does’t sound like economics to me
December 13th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
J: Point taken. Though I would still put forth that the major tenants of the philosophy indicate economics. This is not widely understood and thus many people believe capitalism is as much of a governmental system as communism.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I thought Ayn Rand’s special school of philosophy was Logical Positivism, not Objectivism. But maybe it’s both; she wasn’t really that solid a philosopher. Her major tenet seems to have been “Everyone and everything is bullshit except you within yourself, so screw everyone and get what you want if you’re strong enough. And if you’re not, too bad.” This from a woman whose parents spent their life savings to buy her papers to get out of Russia, and she left them with hardly even a blown kiss; later, she married an American lawyer and pretty much lived off him while pretending to have created herself anew on the basis of her beliefs. I’m not thrilled with Marx either, but I definitely have no room in my belief system for the likes of Ayn Rand.
Jamie, I think Marx saw religion as a purely political tool, and politics in turn as a tool for solidifying economic power. Really, there is some truth to that; funny how here in the US we have politicians endorsed by the Religious Right who claim to be working to shrink the government’s power while enacting heinous new bankruptcy and tax-cut laws to squeeze yet more money out of everyone but the richest 7%. I don’t champion Marxism; in fact there’s not a single flavor of Socialism that can be practiced successfully by human beings, as far as I can see, because the whole mechanism goes too much against the human grain. Too many people would have to operate, all at the same time and ALL THE TIME, at a level of compassion, honesty, altruism and justice and with a work ethic that we just can’t hack, because we’re primates, and as such, like any macaque, are raging balls of unrelenting brutal self-interest. Just like Ms Rand. Which is why people like Karl Rove just love her.
December 13th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
best list ever
December 13th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
My favourite Ayn Rand quote comes from the first line of her first English-language story, “The Husband I Bought”:
“I should not have written this story.”
Gosh! How prescient!
December 13th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Ffrater: You’ll have to excuse me on how i phrased that. I’m not an articulate person. I don’t believe that the Communist economy is a good thing(almost reminds me of the Democratic economic policy), but i do think that the elimination of class is. With the point about the Marxist Bolsheviks took power in Russia, what i meant to say is that they did not create a government without class. I do disagree on many points of Marx but he was trying to help the working class out. Marx didn’t not teach violence and was not the reason of genocide, but the power hungry and evil people that have held power are the reason, just like the Bible and Koran.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
JFrater: And capitalism, an economic philosophy responsible for a death or two along the way, no? Marxism as a critique retains its rigor even today. It’s important to note that Marx theorized that “scientific socialism” was an organic outcome of 19th century capitalism, not some “utopia” (although he clearly thought the world would be better off).
We don’t hold Adam Smith responsible for the crimes of imperialists, do we?
But you’re right, the man is second only to Hegel (among his most direct influences)on the “No Fun to Read” list.
And, damn, I detest Rand. These quotes read like an unfunny H.L. Mencken. #1 is a strange misappropriation of Weber’s definition of the state.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Not 100% with Ann regarding quote #5, “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.”
A human wasn’t involved in the intricate cycles, orbits and processes involved in the development and daily workings of the universe. Since we can’t make something from nothing, we can only do what we’ve done if we had something to start with. That quote assumes everything we are and have is because of us, but the logic implodes on itself. Anyway, sorry to even voice it. It’s just my analytical mind going overtime.
Saw the movie about her. Great list.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:01 am
Mystern: I see what you are saying about its essential ideas but I think the fact remains that it is flawed, has never worked, never will, and should be dropped in the nearest trashcan
Bad News: I don’t hold him responsible for the crimes – but he did give the world the direction that lead to them – that is reason enough to despise him. Note that I didn’t include him on the top 10 evil men
reg123456: Good points – thanks for that. I have not seen the movie about her yet – I would really like to though.
ADawson: I don’t think that the elimination of class is necessarily a good thing – so long as it is a class system in which all people are capable of entering the other classes through achievement – that was not the case in Great Britain unfortunately. It was the case in many European nations earlier in our history because any man could become a great monk and eventually a Bishop – in the class system at the time a Bishop was the same as a prince. A good example of this is Pope Saint Celestine V who was a poor hermit – he became Pope which was like being Emperor of the western world. A “reason” based class system can give people something to aspire to whereas a system like capitalism (which is a good system in itself) tends to make people aspire to wealth only.
December 14th, 2007 at 2:11 am
Martin L: logical positivism is a combination of rationalism and empiricism. According to Wikipedia:
Her philosophy is definitely Objectivism. Again from Wikipedia:
December 14th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Wow, I admire all of the quotes, I especially like #8. I didn’t know she had said, “When I die, I hope to go to Heaven, whatever the Hell that is.”(#23) when I came up with it myself, a few years ago.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:06 am
Drogo: if you liked these quotes you really have to read Atlas Shrugged – it is an excellent novel!
December 14th, 2007 at 9:49 am
I love this – “Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).”
I always say something similar, that a Democracy’s role is to express the will of the majority while protecting the rights of the minority.
December 14th, 2007 at 9:52 am
shaunism: I agree – it’s a great quote.
December 14th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Jamie: thanks. I knew I was a little fuzzy with regards to her philosophy.
Shaunism: there’s an old joke about democracy being three wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch. If the will of the majority is to regard minorities as “special interest groups,” whose pernicious influence on the government must be curtailed, well then … hm, what looks good today? Yes, I think I’ll have the mutton.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
jfrater: I agree with you completely about your idea of class. It one reason that I look at the Republican economy policy as a good thing. Everyone should be taxed equal, not the rich people getting screwed by paying around 35% percent of there income while the other side is only paying around 10%. Sorry I’m ranting!!
December 14th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Ayn Rand is a lonely, pretentious, greedy idiot.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
hell i am by no means rich, not even close, and i get taxed around 30%
to paraphrase Ron Paul
One thing is certain, the founding fathers never envisioned a country, where the government would be taking nearly one third of a citizen’s income for taxes.
here at the end of the year, it’s sicking to look at a paycheck and compare ones Gross and Net year to date pay (yes there are other deductions, state taxes, insurance, etc…but the vast majority of it is federal taxes).
December 14th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
It was not exact numbers i was just trying to lind put it in perspective.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Yeah, the ’somewhat rich’ get taxed at about 30-40%.
Fuck. I’m in that bracket this year.
I used to think ‘rich’ was like Scrooge McDuck- swimming in gold coins and riding around in Rolls Royces. Now I know that it’s just a little bit more than ‘not rich’, which means I actually get to keep much less of my money this year even though I made less last year.
This system sucks.
December 15th, 2007 at 1:50 am
When I lived in New Zealand I was paying 50.25% tax. It is criminal. Oh – and that doesn’t include the goods and services tax of 12.5% on ALL goods and services.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:37 am
jfrater: wow, that’s terrifying. why would you have to pay so much to live there? other than its natural beauty.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:44 am
dvhann: because the government is virtually socialist – it is one of the reasons I left. I was there in the first place because it is my country of birth
December 15th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
A lovely list of quotes from a great author. Ayn Rand was not without flaw (her personal life was a mess) but her work is monumental.
She wrote a novel of ideas that has sold millions of copies and enthralls every generation anew with the idea of personal responsibility and pride in capitalism. I can say personally that Atlas Shrugged changed my life. I have been a happy capitalist my whole adult life and a staunch Roman Catholic, too. Ayn was 99% of the way there; her athiesm was the last premise that she forgot to check for flaws.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:31 am
AndrewD: I feel just the opposite; those who are best off should pay more. We are a whole society, not individuals, and those who are more able to contribute should contribute more to help out those who are less well off.
It’s the same idea as the one that people without kids still have to pay the same taxes for public schooling as those with kids, even though that’s unfair. But it’s for the benefit of the society as whole that all contribute.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:44 am
shaunism: while I agree that we should help others out, I think it should be through charity – for the love of our neighbours we should help them. When the government takes away our choice in charity, why bother to help anyone at all – the government is doing it for you.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:51 am
jfrater: I can understand your sentiment, but I don’t think it’s a genuine option. To see what happens when the wealthy are allowed to keep all their money and take of others through only charity when they choose it, just look at somewhere like Sudan, Zimbabwe or any other country with a rich elite. They are quite happy to hoard their money and live in enclaves while the rest of the populace suffers. I am glad that’s not how it is in the West.
Everybody benefits from a society with working infrastructure, etc., and ovbviously the wealthy have benefited the most from it, so they should give the most back to it.
December 17th, 2007 at 2:58 am
shaunism: how have the wealthy benefited the most from the infrastructure in society? It seems to me that in a welfare state the ones who benefit the most are on welfare – they are getting something for nothing. There are many wealthy people who have made their money sitting at home. It is wrong to penalize people who are productive and reward those who are not.
As for places like Zimbabwe – corrupt government is the problem there.
December 17th, 2007 at 3:06 am
jfrater: Infrastructure was just one example. But in general, the wealthy are benefitting from a working, stable society. Without a stable society, they would not have been able to excel as they have, and as such they should contribute to that society from which they’ve gained so much.
But I guess this is a bit of a political divide and one where people fall on one side or the other. But I am sure you and I can shake hands over the fence and agree on a lot of other things.
I am in the UK now, and paying higher taxes than I did when I was in the US (my effective tax rate there was 17% after deductions and the like [sidnote: if you make $50k or more in the US, get yourself a good accountant, I can almost guarantee there are deductions you are missing]) and now inside the highest tax bracket here, and I am quite happy to do so seeing there is universal health care and a wider social safety net.
Yes, I do think “cheaters” should be more regorously pursued, and I think there should be time-limits on benefits as in America, but overall I am happy to give more for a fairer society.
Fascinating what Ayn Rand has inspired here! This is a great site!
December 17th, 2007 at 3:42 am
shaunism: you are definitely right that we would agree on other things – politics is always a tough one so our disagreement is to be expected
I just bought a new copy of Atlas Shrugged because my other one is in NZ – I am looking forward to reading it on the plane!
December 17th, 2007 at 4:08 am
jfrater: Just out of curiosity, where have you ended up in the States? I lived all over: Vegas, Chicago, SF, Fairbanks (AK), North Dakota, CT, NJ & NYC. It’s funny how wildly different tax burdens are in America. In Vegas, there was almost none – there wasn’t even a sales tax half my life there. In NYC we had federal, state and *city* income taxes! Like I always said, you really have to *want* to live in New York to live there…
December 17th, 2007 at 4:28 am
shaunism: I ended up in England actually – I am living in London. I have been to San Francisco in the states and I loved it! I could easily live there.
December 20th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Rand was a Nut Job. She thought the moderated meritocracy was an expression of evil, but the reality is that it is the best civilization will ever get. The Northern liberal democracies of Europe are in decline, and they are the most equitable sociopolitical systems the world has known. I am no millenarian, but the hand writing is on the acid rain pitted wall. We are doomed.
And to Mr. Frater; charity isn’t necessary if the fed doesn’t fetishize inflation.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Regarding public schools. Here in Norway, more and more parents are pulling their kids out, and sending them to private schools instead, even though our present government has stated that no more private schools are allowed to be started up.
Everybody is supposed to learn the same exact values up here. That is, the values decided by our government.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:52 am
22. jfrater – December 13th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
“adawson – equality is evil if it involves stealing from some to give to others. True equality is when we all have the same opportunities and can enjoy the benefits of our efforts. Equality does not mean we all have the same. That is mediocrity which, to my mind is the greatest sin. Also – if his ideas are impossible, they are of no use and should be forgotten. And no one forgot to disolve anything – the tsar was the ultimate authority and they murdered him.”
JF,
How do you rectify this with providing free education to every child? I have no children, but pay exorbitant taxes on my property to ‘support’ this effort. One thing, it is against my will, the only reason I pay my taxes is because the government will come with a lot of guns and haul me off if I refuse.
Equality for all? Can only occur in a complete separation of economics and state.
“Complete separation of economics and state is morally imperative for the same reasons as separation of church and state”.—Ayn Rand
“Arbitrarily collecting money from some people and redistributing it as the govt. sees fit IS stealing”—Damian
February 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Damian: As an American (or wherever you are), you have benefited from that society. As such, you have a duty to support and maintain the society that has enabled you accomplish what you have. There is no way Westerners would have the comfotable lives we have if education levels weren’t maintained, so whether or not *you* have children in school, you are still benefitting from the fact there is free universal education.
Ditto for roads, for us public transport users, and all the other nicities of a modern country, even if you don’t use them directly.
Shaun
February 29th, 2008 at 11:18 am
shaunism,
Not true, I would “benefit” much more if I was able to keep what I earn and invest it as I see fit, rather than supporting other people’s whims, needs, and/or desires. I am not even touching on the certifications, regulations, and red-tape needed to open a business. I would love to open a little turn key pub/tavern where I could work the bar and serve good cheap food…BUT the govt. won’t let me. They “regulate” the # of liquor licenses, then charge 60K for one! Effectively, for all practical purposes excluding me from my dream.
I am 40K in debt for school loans, but rapists and other offenders receive college education ON THE CUFF! I know, I worked in human services for 5 years before going back to school (at extreme financial hardship) for biology. While I was working in residential facilties I witnessed ‘kids’ as old as 20 receiving social security, being offered FULL scholarships to college…and these were former violent, sexual predators who “jump through a few hoops”. I am constantly seeing in the news former ‘clients’ I have worked with who cost tons of money to ‘rehab’ then go and commit the same crimes. A damn waste, in my 5 years, working with over 200 clients, maybe 5-6 were worthy of what they were receiving.
All of the services you mention would be run more efficiently by private entities.
No, I dare say I have accomplished what I have IN SPITE of the ridiculous welfare, nanny state that I live in!
D
February 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Damian: Without the society you live in, you wouldn’t have the ability to make that money you want to keep. We each have to do our part to maintain society, even with its flaws, as a whole, not just picking and choosing the bits we want to support.
All you have to do is look to countries without free universal education to see how the alternatice plays out. And what of children who are born to parents who are too poor to pay for private school?
There will always be people who find a way to cheat/maximise the system, but I bet you are better off than any of them despite their help from the state.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Shaunism,
You just repeated yourself. So the “debate” will end here with us disagreeing. I don’t repeat myself.
D
February 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Oh one thing though, the poor people born to poor people are not my concern. Having children is RESPONSIBILITY, don’t have them if you can’t afford them! This is 2008, there are plenty of contraceptive options available. Please don’t come back with a religious arguement or some “right” that people have to procreate if they can’t afford it; you will simply be making my case.
So whatever society people are in, they should just feel grateful, no matter what? Grateful for what? I am not the parasite! I am the host!
D
February 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Damian: You repeated about what you get out of society, so I repeated you need to support that society. But disagree we can on that. I am just naturally drawn to a more socialistic model, which is one of many reasons I moved from America to the UK.
We do agree on having kids being a responsabilty; in my ideal world you’d need a license to have a kid. But you don’t. So I don’t think a kid should have to suffer for his/her parents’ mistakes. That’s like the old days when debts were passed on to children. Thank god that doesn’t happen now or I’d be in a world of hurt!
Shaun
February 29th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Shauny,
In the US you are considered a “bleeding heart liberal”, but you probably already know that (if you lived here). Thanks for getting the hell out, I personally appreciate it.
Stealing (taxes) has been such a part of ’society’ (society does not exist, only individuals exist, society is a man made creation in which the rulers constantly evoke ‘the good of society’…what they are really evoking is the good of their special interests) for so long that the sheep (or clones–J Rome) are actually incapable of comprehending a society where they actually have control of their own lives, most people can’t fathom a society where the govt. doesn’t spoon feed all of their ‘needs’.
Democracy is an illusion, we don’t vote on issues, the politicians simply dictate. For example, in many states the law states that you may carry a weapon in clear view (open-carry), regardless of the evidence which indubitably proves open-carry deters violent crime, the states of the US simply refuse ALL applications for an open-carry permit (you can get one in Texas!), even though the law states that it is a constitutional right. Lets see some mo fo try to mug me with my 9mm semi-auto gloc attached to my hip…fuckin’ try. I am reduced to concealed weapons (‘ankle gloc’) which do not deter criminals.
Regardless, I relent…the idiots have won, I am an island floating in a sea of mediocrity (with my ankle gloc) just trying to keep my head above water (barely).
D – Locked but loaded
Freedom? Not in my lifetime.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 am
Damian: I am quite happy to be out, thank you. But don’t you worry – I still retain voting rights in America and you know which way I’ll be voting this November.
March 8th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Those of you who offer negative words towards Ayn Rand are very simply wrong in your assessments. I know you without knowing you. You either have never read her novels with an open mind, or you are individuals that do not prioritize reason above the other elements that factor into decision making (namely – emotions and feeling).
Rand’s philosophy is not complicate. It can be summed up in one word: Objective.
Hers are a group of ideas all centered upon the principles of objectivity and reason, and from those principles everything else follows.
Unfortunately people become emotionally attached to ideas throughout lives, whether the culprits are family members and friends who tend to jump on a soap box, or a few books read along the way, or a mediocre lifestyle that causes one to become jealous/resentful and eventually hateful towards those whose lives have greater value (in an economic sense)… and they approach decision making not objectively but subjectively, and without logic.
Rand was not an elitist and she, of anyone, did not believe in the traditional class structure. Rand despised people who did not live up to their potential regardless of their financial status. To each according to their potential. Rand clearly would have held more respect for the mentally retarded man who worked hard to provide for himself without outside assistance than the son of a great man who leaches off his family. Of course Rand’s greatest heroes, however, were the men that helped us to get further and further from the jungle. The kind of men who developed the technology that allow us to collaborate here on the Internet. I guarantee you that you won’t find these men in lines for food stamps.
I wonder how many physically capable people are on this blog that mooch off the good will of others?
March 12th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
45. jfrater – December 15th, 2007 at 1:50 am
When I lived in New Zealand I was paying 50.25% tax
WTF!? The tax rates for individuals in NZ are:
0 – 38000 19.5%
38000 – 60000 33%
> 60000 39%
Dunno who did your taxes, but you got ripped off mate.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
66. Damian
Don’t suppose you live in a bunker and read Soldier Of Fortune magazine by any chance?
March 14th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
there’s some really good quotes from ANthem
May 15th, 2008 at 12:36 am
matt (69): 39% income tax, 10% student loan repayments (paid via the tax department), and 1.25% ACC levies – a grand total of 50.25% going to the tax department. Granted the Student Loan repayments were paying off a loan, but I was giving over half my income to the IRD.
May 31st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Ayn Rand’s philosophy is a sign that man’s rationality is still continually evolving. We have seen the adverse effects of altruism in many, if not all, of our history books. Although Rand’s philosophy is relatively old (as can be seen in tiny snippets from the philosophies of many historical figures noted for their use of reason), she was able to encapsulate everything that man has been ignoring, whether consciously or unconsciously for so long–that we are the masters of our own lives.
If Rand detractors hate her for her philosophy, they should at least credit her for bringing to the table a consortium of the greatest ideals of men in the past with just a single principle: Objectivism.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am
“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.”
reg123456 (comment #32):
Rand’s quote refers solely to man-made elements of the world. Granted, there was raw matter when we got here, but it was man’s intelligence and ability that shaped that matter into a wheel.
If we depended solely on the daily workings of the universe, we’d be no different from animals. It’s our ability to change our environment to suit our own purpose that makes us great and I believe that was what Ayn Rand was talking about.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
My favorite Ayn Rand quote is, “Yes I meant for my hair to look like this.”
October 6th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
OOOOOOOOOOOO, its a girl, found that out after the third picture, first i thot it was a gay man
November 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
What about this one:
“Man exists for the achievement of his desires.”
That is my favorite.
November 9th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I love Greenspan’s yammering befuddlement concerning the flaw in the markets; so much for laissez faire capitalism.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Ha ha, yeah Greenspan failed to realize that people are GREEDY. Ooops!
And Ayn Rand is an idiot. So are all people who think that people should just be selfish and only care about themselves. Instead of the “have nots” dragging down the “haves”, why not the “haves” pulling up the “have nots”?
January 24th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
“21. There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist.”
ah yes, the world of today is full of these.. the indie-hipsters, neo-bohemians and modern ‘artists’
April 15th, 2009 at 7:57 am
i think she was at her most honest when she said,
“I am a bitch, I am out of my depth, I write maudlin and unsensational books, I am a bitch, no wonder I hate everyone else”
April 21st, 2009 at 2:09 am
I have written and will keep writing extensively against Ayn Rand. Her whole life, she declared Kant was ‘the most evil human being’ even though she never read any of his works.
These quotes indeed have a certain substance and validity to them, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before. Her ideas about the state are mere copies of Weber’s, sans the socialism. And her ideas of the ego are idiotic compared to the depth of Max Stirner’s individualism.
Ayn Rand was merely a reactionary figure that never got over the Soviet Union. What merit can a woman have when all of her philosophy is based on quips from other thinkers while she still pretends that she is absolutely wrong and if you disagree with anything she has said then you are absolutely wrong?
May 9th, 2009 at 4:56 am
“And Ayn Rand is an idiot. So are all people who think that people should just be selfish and only care about themselves. Instead of the “have nots” dragging down the “haves”, why not the “haves” pulling up the “have nots”?”
How about because I don’t feel it?
It’s MY money. I earned it. I’ll do with it what I please.
Go be charitable with your own, and keep your filthy altruistic hands off of mine.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
ahhhhhhhhh. survival of the fittest than, eh?
May 13th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Hehe, this is highly entertaining. If nothing else, she was at least highly controversial, getting everyone so pissed. “filthy altruistic hands” hehe. This consciousness of and vulnerability towards others is not very Randy, hey?
I love what this site has created. Are there any other interesting conversations like these that you can refer me to? Oh, and who’s Max Stirner?
June 12th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Clearly people will continue to levy judgments in whatever way they wish, but to suggest that Ayn Rand’s philosophical views are reducible to narrow-minded selfishness is to demonstrate ignorance of the great depth of exploration on the subject of rational self-interest by Rand, Nathaniel Branden, and others.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Rational self-interest doesn’t have to automatically exclude rational altruism. That’s one thing that Rand got wrong. She abhorred altruism in any form–at best, she was only in favor of trickle-down beneficial effects of each person’s efforts expended on themselves, somehow finding their way into aiding others.
When a person truly needs help, they need help. No amount of trickle-down will save a person who’s fallen part-way down a cliff, and is hanging on for dear life, hoping someone at the top of the cliff will stretch down a hand or a branch. In Rand’s world, to stretch out a hand to such a person, instead of telling them to crawl up the cliff themselves, is a no-no. Rand amused herself throughout her life with little contradictions like this, and refused to acknowledge that such contradictions weren’t just peculiar items to somehow be explained away, but rather were proof that her extreme form of selfishness was irrational.
June 27th, 2009 at 3:15 am
jfrater @50 says:
“while I agree that we should help others out, I think it should be through charity – for the love of our neighbours we should help them. When the government takes away our choice in charity, why bother to help anyone at all – the government is doing it for you.”
In Rand’s philosophy, altruism is bad. Charity is altruism. In her philosophy, we might be able to love our neighbors, but not help them in any way if they were in need. Talk about pointless conundrums.
As for the government taking away our choice in charity, where do you see that happening?
July 14th, 2009 at 7:32 am
You people crack me up. It’s not survival of the fittest. If someone saw a need to build and fund a school then they would do it and make money providing the best school. Why/ Because people would want to send their kids there. Rand was a woman far smarter then some of you. You think without government you would have nothing. You were government schooled so that is not a shock.
Reason and logic are powerful things and it appears to powerful for some of you who want a nanny state.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:22 am
Selfishness is a virtue. If we don’t make ourselves happy, what good are we to others?
July 24th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
John Sawyer-
I think you should reread some of Rand’s work more carefully before you criticize her ideas on charity and altruism.
She did not flat out denounce giving to others. She did, however, denounce being forced to give to others (ie. income taxes, public welfare, etc.) and making sacrifices to help others at your own expense. She instructed individuals to follow their own set of values and moral codes instead of blindly following others’.
example: If you donate funds to build a library in your community, that’s ok so long as you value the education of those that will benefit more than you value the money you donated. In this case, the altruist feels happy and gains a feeling of self-worth.
It’s not ok if you donate the money because you feel a “social obligation,” if it means you must make a sacrifice, or if you are forced to do it via taxes. This leaves the altruist feeling bitter and resentful towards the library and those who benefit from it because he does not value them more than he values the money he lost.
Ayn Rand envisioned a state where no one makes sacrifices. This seems like a noble ideal to me and I think people would be a good deal happier in this world. Sadly, with increased gov. programs and increasing taxes, we are moving away from Rand’s goal.
And for those who think the rich would hoard all of their money if they weren’t forced to part with it, what about carnegie? what about rockefeller? without the “forced charity” that’s being implemented today, these men and others from their era donated exorbitant amounts of money to public welfare projects. And guess what: they were glad to do it, not grumbling about high taxes and gov. spending.
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
I think Rand reached the peak of logic that an Atheist can comprehend. Without the variable input of spirit, one can only go so far in this world, and it will most likley mentally conclude to a self-centered philosophy, with no value or merit for the human conditon. We all have our measure of success in this world, but her dictation on life is a direct violation of biblical principals. (IE: Proverbs chapter 3:5-6
“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight”.)
I do have my own questions in regards to certain text in the Bible at times, but at the end of the day, I know that I pledge alligence to Jesus Christ, and I think that I am a better person for it…
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Rand is Nietzsche for the trailer trash set, with some ridiculous economic ideas thrown in.
Yup, lets pretend market failures don’t happen, and if they do lets just say its all the fault of the federal reserve.
Utter idiocy disguised as philosophy/economics.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:23 am
@Ayn Rand – blow me.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Fantastic list. I’ve read all her fiction and much of her non-fiction. She truly is a fantastic thinker. She’s unfairly maligned in Academia which is not surprising considering I’ve seen tons of Academics and philosophers completely misunderstand and misrepresent her philosophy which shows they haven’t actually explored it properly.
Which is very similar to the Anti-Rand comments in this list, with so many people completely misunderstanding her philosophy.
Anyway, great list. And she’s a wonderful thinker.