To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
The Founding Fathers were neither passive, death-worshipin g mystics nor mindless, power-seeking looters; as a political group they were a phenomenon unprecedented in history: they were thinkers who were also men of action.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Founding Fathers combined intellect and action, taking a unique approach to create a new political system.
Ayn Rand highlights the distinctive nature of the Founding Fathers by portraying them not just as ideological thinkers or ruthless power seekers, but rather as individuals who blended deep philosophical thought with decisive action. This unprecedented combination allowed them to establish a new political framework that was innovative in history, illustrating the importance of both ideas and practical efforts in achieving significant societal change.
Themes
Founding FathersActionThinkingPoliticsInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on political philosophy, a professor might reference this quote to illustrate the unique qualities of historical figures.
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All quotes →The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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For the moral attitudes of a people that is supported by religion need always aim at preserving and promoting the sanity and vitality of the community and its individuals, since otherwise this community is bound to perish. A people that were to honour falsehood, defamation, fraud, and murder would be unable, indeed, to subsist for very long.
Albert EinsteinRead
XXIX Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking. Traveller, the path is your tracks And nothing more. Traveller, there is no path The path is made by walking. By walking you make a path And turning, you look back At a way you will never tread again Traveller, there is no road Only wakes in the sea.
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Corporations have neither bodies to kick, nor souls to damn.
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Then Ben wailed again, hopeless and prolonged. It was nothing. Just sound. It might have been all time and injustice and sorrow become vocal for an instant by a conjunction of planets.
William FaulknerRead
With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's theory we reach a modern understanding of nature, one which has since then changed in detail rather than in fundamentals. Only those who prefer religious faith to beliefs based on reasoning and evidence can still maintain that the human species is the special darling of the entire universe, or that other animals were created to provide us with food, or that we have divine authority over them, and divine permission to kill them.
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I have done my fiddling so long under Vesuvius that I have almost forgotten to play, and can only wait for the eruption and think it long of coming. Literally no man has more wholly outlived life than I. And still it's good fun.
Robert Louis StevensonRead