To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
When men abandon reason, physical force becomes their only means of dealing with one another and of settling disagreements.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Without reason, humans resort to force for conflict resolution.
Ayn Rand's quote highlights the importance of reason in human interactions. When individuals choose to dismiss logical thought and discourse, they inevitably turn to physical force as a means to solve conflicts, which reflects a breakdown of civil society and rationality.
Themes
ReasonForceConflictHuman NatureRationality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about the importance of dialogue in conflict resolution.
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
The world is too brutal for me-I am glad there is such a thing as the grave-I am sure I shall never have any rest till I get there.
John KeatsRead
I hate extremes of any kind. Communism [seeks] the domination of the state over the individual... All my life I have stood against banning Communism or other extremist organisations because, if you do that, they go underground and it gives them an excitement that they don't get if they are allowed to pursue their policies openly. We'll beat them into the ground on argument...
Margaret ThatcherRead
The countenances of children, like those of animals, are masks, not faces, for they have not yet developed a significant profile of their own.
W. H. AudenRead
Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Much faith will yield unto us here our heaven, but any faith, if true, will yield us heaven hereafter.
Thomas BrooksRead
he threw up his hands and wrote the Universe dont exist and died to prove it
Allen GinsbergRead