To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
The Founding Fathers were neither passive, death-worshipin g mystics nor mindless, power-seeking looters; as a political group they were a phenomenon unprecedented in history: they were thinkers who were also men of action.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Founding Fathers combined intellect and action, taking a unique approach to create a new political system.
Ayn Rand highlights the distinctive nature of the Founding Fathers by portraying them not just as ideological thinkers or ruthless power seekers, but rather as individuals who blended deep philosophical thought with decisive action. This unprecedented combination allowed them to establish a new political framework that was innovative in history, illustrating the importance of both ideas and practical efforts in achieving significant societal change.
Themes
Founding FathersActionThinkingPoliticsInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on political philosophy, a professor might reference this quote to illustrate the unique qualities of historical figures.
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All quotes βThe difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
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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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I never could bear the idea of anyone's expecting something from me. It always made me want to do just the opposite.
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But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual. Each seeking to satisfy private wants.
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I'm not afraid of facts, I welcome facts but a congeries of facts is not equivalent to an idea. This is the essential fallacy of the so-called "scientific" mind. People who mistake facts for ideas are incomplete thinkers; they are gossips.
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Gay men are guardians of the masculine impulse. To have anonymous sex in a dark alleyway is to pay homage to the dream of male freedom. The unknown stranger is a wandering pagan god. The altar, as in pre-history, is anywhere you kneel.
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Devils are depicted with bats' wings and good angels with birds' wings, not because anyone holds that moral deterioration would be likely to turn feathers into membrane, but because most men like birds better than bats.
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Peace and love are ever in us, being and working; but we be not alway in peace and in love.
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