To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
Every movement that seeks to enslave a country, every dictatorship or potential dictatorship, needs some minority group as a scapegoat which it can blame for the nation's troubles and use as a justification of its own demands for dictatorial powers. In Soviet Russia, the scapegoat was the bourgeoisie; in Nazi Germany, it was the Jewish people; in America, it is the businessmen.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Powerful regimes often use minority groups as scapegoats to justify their authoritarian actions.
In this quote, Ayn Rand highlights the dangerous tendency of totalitarian regimes to create and exploit scapegoats from minority groups to legitimize their oppressive actions. By illustrating historical examples, she warns of the ease with which a society can be misled into blaming certain groups for its problems, thus paving the way for dictatorship and the erosion of freedom.
Themes
TotalitarianismScapegoatDictatorshipMinorityOppressionFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
During a political rally, someone might quote this to discuss the importance of protecting minority rights.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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