Francisco could do anything he undertook, he could do it better than anyone else, and he did it without effort. There was no boasting in his manner and consciousness, no thought of comparison. His attitude was not: 'I can do it better than you,' but simply: 'I can do it.' What he meant by doing was doing superlatively.
Ayn RandHave you ever felt the longing for someone you could admire? For something, not to look down at, but up to?
Ayn RandEvery form of happiness if one, every desire is driven by the same motor--by our love for a single value, for the highest potentiality of our own existence--and every achievement is an expression of it.
Ayn RandIt is the basic, metaphysical fact of man's nature -- the connection between his survival and his use of reason -- that capitalism recognizes and protects.
Ayn RandA majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea. Voting is merely a proper political device--within a strictly, constitutionall y delimited sphere of action--for choosing the practical means of implementing a societyโs basic principles. But those principles are not determined by vote.
Ayn RandYou don't have to see through the eyes of others, hold onto yours, stand on your own judgment, you know that what is, isโsay it aloud, like the holiest of prayers, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Ayn RandWell, I always know what I want. And when you know what you want--you go toward it. Sometimes you go very fast, and sometimes only an inch a year. Perhaps you feel happier when you go fast. I don't know. I've forgotten the difference long ago, because it really doesn't matter, so long as you move.
Ayn Rand