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.
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.
There is a very big difference between equality and equal rights which is advocated by individualists like myself. I believe we all have the same rights as individuals but our status in life is determined by our actions in that life. I find it highly offensive to have criminals and lazy incompetents put on an equal footing as myself. This thinking elevates scum and lowers great men and what we get is the lowest common denominator.
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.
The huge problem with this is that it is impossible for everyone to have the same opportunities. We are not born equal. Some people have less intelligence capacity, some have a predisposition to disease or mental illness, some have brain disorders that do not allow them to function at full capacity. This is the problem with pretending that equal opportunity is good enough to give an equal accessibility to actual equality.
Excellently put Jfrater. As for Heyjo, this is a thing called life, get over it and make the most of it. We all should have equal rights but should never have equality in your sense because we are all individuals and we are all different, for good and for bad. This is what makes life such a beautiful journey.
Yep, some of her thoughts are indeed profound. However, Libertarianism stinks! Abolish public schools indeed! Bunch of elitist pricks.
Would it be ok with you if I used the government to take money from you in order to educate my children in private school?
Just a point… public schools are failing while private prosper. Is it because of the parents, the government, or is it because it is free? Perhaps our culture has cheapened education so much, (with required knowledge, not money) that our children take an education for granted? I wonder what children in our country would do if they had to cross rivers on tire tubes or rafts, and walk through forests, just to get to their schools as many do in Africa?
You seem to imply that all libertarians want to abolish public schools. I personally suggest revision rather than abolition. Perhaps abolishing them or dwindling their usage in the future would be ideal, but only if this suits society's needs. Not all libertarians are the slightest bit amoral or thoughtless. I have been in public schools most of my life.
I am not an elitist. I find the idea of being socially liberal and economically conservative to be realistic and useful for my purposes.
To be honest I am quite keen on the idea of homeschooling and charity run schools instead of government schools
Im one of the ones who loves Ayn Rand. I knew wierd huh.
Great… now I’m going to go play Bioshock again…
Bioshock is amazing. I find that that, and Fallout both truly embody pure capitalism. Rapture being made to free people of government control, and the wasteland forcing characters to do everything thing they can (relying on themselves) to stay afloat.
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
All schools should be private, the standards should be set by government. Tax money should follow the students to the school of his or her choice.
Sewermutant: Over there is our library.
Bender: Nothing buy crappy *****o and Ayn Rand.
Futurama rocks.
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.
I wonder if you could find people with "many thing lacking in their education" among the majority of people, who went to public schools.
I think you are generalizing based on a single sample or instance
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 . . .
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?
I have an explanation for the hate. I have two autistic children. They have unique minds and an extraordinary intelligence to offer society, for the greater good, that could never have been reached by themselves alone. They can be very productive members of society, but not without initial help. I was into Rand when I was younger, and Atlas Shrugged was actually one of my favorite novels (although objectivism still never sat completely well with me since I recognized that selfishness was most often not productive). After I had my children, and I actually began to contemplate all the other dangers of this popular philosophy among my generation, I began actively arguing against Rand's beliefs. Rand never did have children, by the way, and her own parents were nurturing individuals who sacrificed themselves to give her a better chance. For her to pretend that all humans start out on a playing field par to hers was short sighted, to say the least. People enjoy Rand, just as I did, because her philosophy is simple and convenient. It allows people to only have to be concerned about themselves, and reality is much more complicated than that.
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.
I have to say you are right. I know from experience. I went to Catholic School. 1st through 10th. When I lost my parents I entered Public School. I was years ahead. Everything they were teaching was at least three years behind what I had already been taught. Bored myself to graduation.
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 . . .
#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.
Well put yarr, well put!!
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!!
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.
Bioshock worth buying? any good?
Bioshock is gonna win game of the year 2007. Totally. Just my opinion. Definitely worth the money.
Oh I like her very much. Good list. =)
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
That’s why you get the XBox Version.
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.
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
mystern: “religion is the opiate of the masses” – that does’t sound like economics to me
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.
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 bull***** 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.
Yea it may "seem to be" but its not. Also, she was not a logical positivist; Alan Greenspan was one before he became an objectivist. I don't feel like replying to the rest of what you said. You hohenestly don't have much of an idea of what you're talking about.
i just finished reading the fountainhead and i think what Rand is trying to express by “being selfish” is not about screwing everyone to get what you want but rather about believing in yourself, standing by your ideals, and being sure about yourself even when the whole world thinks otherwise
best list ever
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!
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.
I totally hate Marx, but that was very well said. He was just a guy who wrote a book about what he thought was a good way to live at the time. He had no way of knowing what would come of it. I certainly wouldnt expect anyone to pay any attention to anything I wrote. He was just a guy with a half-assed idea.
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.
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 *****ytical mind going overtime.
Saw the movie about her. Great list.
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.
Martin L: logical positivism is a combination of rationalism and empiricism. According to Wikipedia:
Her philosophy is definitely Objectivism. Again from Wikipedia:
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.
Drogo: if you liked these quotes you really have to read Atlas Shrugged – it is an excellent novel!
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.
shaunism: I agree – it’s a great quote.
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.
The quote is from Ben Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb."
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!!
Ayn Rand is a lonely, pretentious, greedy idiot.
Thanks for your input, oh maker of well-supported arguments.
Seriously, if you don’t like Ayn Rand, make an argument. Don’t call names like a pampered six year old.
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).
It was not exact numbers i was just trying to lind put it in perspective.
Yeah, the ‘somewhat rich’ get taxed at about 30-40%.
*****. 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.
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.
jfrater: wow, that’s terrifying. why would you have to pay so much to live there? other than its natural beauty.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Again, I take issue with this. I agree that it is wrong to reward those who could be productive but refuse, and penalize those who are productive. However, Rand does not allow for anyone to help anyone, no matter how incapable.
"… corrupt government is the problem there."
Maybee… It is made possible by the culture and work culture.
You can not expect anything else.
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!
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!
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…
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.
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.
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.
The second paragraph sounds like the newly adopted curriculum for the state of Texas. I believe Norway, as is the case in Scandinavian countries in general, has among the highest literacy rates in the world. I'd trust literate students' abilities to think critically. Besides, do you mean to suggest that private schools have no agendas?
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
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
Nothing is "free".