To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
The spread of evil is the symptom of a vacuum. Whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evil prevails when good individuals neglect their moral duties and principles.
Ayn Rand's quote emphasizes that the existence and spread of evil often occur when individuals fail to uphold their moral principles, creating a void that allows malevolent forces to thrive. It suggests that compromises on fundamental ethics lead to a moral vacuum where evil can flourish, thus urging people to be vigilant and assertive in their ethical beliefs.
Themes
EvilMoralityPrinciplesFailureVacuumsCompromise
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about ethical leadership, this quote can articulate the importance of adhering to principles.
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
One is often told that it is a very wrong thing to attack religion, because religion makes men virtuous. So I am told; I have not noticed it.
Bertrand RussellRead
Well, I write in exile because I cannot return to my country, so I have no choice but to see myself as an exiled writer.
Guillermo Cabrera InfanteRead
Persuasion is achieved by the speaker's personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. We believe good men more fully and more readily than others: this is true generally whatever the question is, and absolutely true where exact certainty is impossible and opinions are divided.
AristotleRead
This life is not real. I conquered the world and it did not bring me satisfaction.
Muhammad AliRead
God is the one who satisfies the passion for justice, the longing for spirituality, the hunger for relationship, the yearning for beauty. And God, the true God, is the God we see in Jesus of Nazareth, Israel's Messiah, the world's true Lord.
N. T. WrightRead
Man differs more from man than man from beast
John WilmotRead