Capitalism is based on individual rights - not on the sacrifice of the individual to the 'public good' of the collective.

Man's mind is his basic tool of survival.

"Mediocrity" doesn't mean average intelligence, it means an average intelligence that resents and envies its betters.

Morality pertains only to the sphere of man's free will - only to those actions which are open to his choice.

There’s no way to rule innocent men. 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 me to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed or enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt.

We didn't really have to take everything so seriously, did we?

The causes of illusions are not pretty to discover. They're either vicious or tragic.