To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
Collectivism answers: The power of society is unlimited. Society may make any laws it wishes, and force them upon anyone in any manner it wishes.
Interpretation
This quote raises concerns about the potential tyranny of majority rule in a collectivist society.
Ayn Rand's quote critiques the concept of collectivism, highlighting the idea that if society wields unlimited power, it can impose any laws or rules on individuals, potentially leading to oppression and the loss of personal freedoms. Rand warns against the dangers of allowing society's whims to dictate individual rights, advocating instead for the protection of personal liberty against the whims of the collective.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of individual rights in the face of governmental power.
To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.
What is the basic, the essential, the crucial principle that differentiates freedom from slavery? It is the principle of voluntary action versus physical coercion or compulsion.
One method of destroying a concept is by diluting its meaning. Observe that by ascribing rights to the unborn, i.e., the nonliving, the anti-abortionists obliterate the rights of the living.
I think that when in doubt about the truth of an issue, it's safer and in better taste to select the least numerous of the adversaries.
But there is a light that goes deeper than the will, a light that lights up the darkness behind it: that light can change your will, can make it truly yours and not another's - not the Shadow's. Into the created can pour itself the creating will, and so redeem it!
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
Iβm not sentimental about anything. Life flows by, and you flow with it or you donβt. Move on and move out.
We desperately need seers who can see through the mist- Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy.
I used to think consciousness itself was a virtue, so I tried to keep it all in my head at the same time: past, future, etc.
It is when suffering finds a voice and sets our nerves quivering that this pity comes troubling us.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.