To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
Creation comes before distribution -- or there will be nothing to distribute.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creation must happen before sharing or distributing work to ensure there is something valuable to offer.
Ayn Rand emphasizes the importance of producing creative work before attempting to share it with others. This quote highlights the foundational role of creation in any process that involves distribution, suggesting that the act of creating is essential for providing value and meaning to an audience. Without the initial work, there is nothing worthwhile to present, making creation a fundamental priority.
Themes
CreationDistributionValueProductionArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about innovation, one might say, 'As Ayn Rand pointed out, creation comes before distribution, reminding us that we must produce ideas before we can share them.'
More from Ayn Rand
All quotes →The 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
The reason some portraits don't look true to life is that some people make no effort to resemble their pictures.
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He drove his kind of realism at me so hard I bounced right into nonobjective painting.
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I am a writer. I suppose I think that the highest gift that man has is art, and I am audacious enough to think of myself as an artist - that there is both joy and beauty and illumination and communion between people to be achieved through the dissection of personality.
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For me, I really feel like if there's not a real, true connection to the material, I don't need to sing it. I don't need to sing songs just because I like them anymore. I've done that.
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Let’s be realistic about this, the guitar can be the single most blasphemous device on the face of the earth. That’s why I like it . . . The disgusting stink of a too-loud electric guitar: now that’s my idea of a good time.
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I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who would call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one.
Oscar WildeRead