The alleged short-cut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit destroying the mind

This was solidarity. The debutante having her toenails pedicured - the housewife buying carrots from a pushcart - the bookkeeper who had wanted to be a pianist, but has the excuse of a sister to support - the businessman who hated his business - the worker who hated his work - the intellectual who hated everybody - all were united as brothers in the luxury of common anger that cured boredom and took them out of themselves, and they knew well enough what a blessing it was to be taken out of themselves.

When you are asked to love everybody indiscriminately, that is to love people without any standard, to love them regardless of whether they have any value or virtue, you are asked to love nobody.

Emotions are not tools of cognition. They tell you nothing about the nature of reality.

Individualism regards man-every man-as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being.

I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals and I loathe humanity for its failure to live up to these possibilities.

but their eyes were as cold blue glass buttons.