To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
Political freedom cannot exist without economic freedom; a free mind and a free market are corollaries.
Interpretation
Economic freedom is essential for political freedom, as both are interconnected.
Ayn Rand's quote emphasizes the idea that true political freedom is unattainable without the presence of economic freedom. She argues that the ability to think freely and operate within a free market are interdependent concepts, suggesting that one cannot fully enjoy personal liberties in a system that restricts economic opportunities.
In practice
In a speech on the importance of free markets.
To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The fact that people die because of an AK-47 is not because of the designer, but because of politics.
The control of the production of wealth is the control of human life itself.
Whenever I happen to be in a city of any size, I marvel that riots do not break out everyday: Massacres, unspeakable carnage, a doomsday chaos. How can so many human beings coexist in a space so confined without hating each other to death?
Reality is a prison, where one vegetates and always will. All the rest - thought, action - is just a pastime, mental or physical. What counts then, is to come to grips with reality. The rest can go.
When the voice of truth rises from the minarets, the Buddha smiles, and the broken chain of history reconnects.
These days I must take the world in small and carefully measured doses. It is a sort of homeopathic cure I am undergoing, though I am not certain what this cure is meant to mend. Perhaps I am learning to live amongst the living again. Practising, I mean. But no, that is not it. Being here is just a way of not being anywhere.
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