To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
Guilt is altruism's stock in trade, and the inducing of guilt is its only means of self-perpetuati on.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Guilt can often be manipulated to promote altruistic behavior, suggesting that guilt is necessary for altruism to thrive.
In this quote, Ayn Rand suggests that guilt serves as a fundamental tool for promoting altruism. She argues that the feeling of guilt is often used to compel individuals to engage in selfless acts, and that the propagation of guilt is what enables altruism to sustain itself in society. This perspective implies that altruism may not be as noble as it seems, as it relies on the cultivation of guilt to motivate individuals.
Themes
GuiltAltruismSelf-PerpetuationPhilosophyEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the complexities of moral responsibility in a philosophy class.
More from Ayn Rand
All quotes βThe 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
From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines. Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute. Listening to others, and considering well what they say. Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating. Gently but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me.
Walt WhitmanRead
Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence and deem them like the Ark of the Covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment.
Edmund MorganRead
How interesting it would be to write the story of the experiences in this life of a man who killed himself in his previous life; how he stumbles against the very demands which had offered themselves before, until he arrives at the realization that he must fulfill those demands. The deeds of the preceding life give direction to the present life.
Leo TolstoyRead
From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death. ... I fell morally and intellectually obligated simply to concede that the death penalty experiment has failed.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
This is a fundamental view of the world. It says that when you build a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent, and more whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature, as you make it.
Christopher AlexanderRead
...not all encounters with the world affect the mind equally. Studies have demonstrated that if the brain appraises an event as "meaningful," it will be more likely to be recalled in the future.
Daniel J. SiegelRead