To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
If [people] place such things as friendship and family ties above their own productive work, yes, then they are immoral. Friendship, family life and human relationships are not primary in a man's life. A man who places others first, above his own creative work, is an emotional parasite.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of prioritizing one's own work and creativity over personal relationships.
Ayn Rand argues that placing friendship and family above one's productive work can be deemed immoral, as individuals should focus on their own creative endeavors. She describes those who prioritize others' needs over their own work as 'emotional parasites,' suggesting that a healthy relationship with one's creative output is fundamental to a fulfilling life.
Themes
WorkCreativityRelationshipsMoralityIndividualism
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on personal development, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of self-fulfillment.
More from Ayn Rand
All quotes βThe difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
Ayn RandRead
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.
Ayn RandRead
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.
Ayn RandRead
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.
Ayn RandRead
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.
Ayn RandRead
Similar quotes
I only wish that ordinary people had an unlimited capacity for doing harm; then they might have an unlimited power for doing good.
SocratesRead
And from true lordship it follows that the true God is living, intelligent, and powerful; from the other perfections, that he is supreme, or supremely perfect. He is eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient; that is, he endures from eternity to eternity; and he is present from infinity to infinity; he rules all things, and he knows all things that happen or can happen.
Isaac NewtonRead
You can't have virtue without sin. What I'm after is having my characters' virtues defined by how they operate in a very sinful environment. That's how you test people.
Frank MillerRead
The body can't distinguish between cleansing and punishing for the body is ignorant, and mute besides.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
How prudently most men creep into nameless graves, while now and then one or two forget themselves into immortality.
Wendell PhillipsRead
If truth were not boring, science would have done away with God long ago. But God as well as the saints is a means to escape the dull banality of truth.
Emile M. CioranRead