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The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is never to place his prime goal within the persons of...more

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I take the only desire one can really permit oneself. Freedom, Alvah, freedom.”“You call that freedom?”“To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend o...more

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Roark spoke quietly. He was the only man in the room who felt certain of his own words.

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He’s not really struggling even for material wealth, but for the second-hander’s delusion—prestige. A stamp of approval, not his own. He can find no j...more

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Notice how they’ll accept anything except a man who stands alone. They recognize him at once...There’s a special, insidious kind of hatred for him. Th...more

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It’s easier to donate a few thousands to charity and think oneself noble than to base self-respect on personal standards of personal achievement. It’s...more

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My real soul...? It’s real only when it’s independent...

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A man’s spirit is his self. That entity which is his consciousness. To think, to feel, to judge, to act are functions of the ego.

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And isn’t that the root of every despicable action? Not selfishness, but precisely the absence of a self. Look at them. The man who cheats and lies, b...more

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You’re so beautiful, Dominique. Its such a lovely accident on God’s part that there’s one person who matches inside and out.

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He knew, while he spoke, that it was useless, because his words sounded as if they were hitting a vacuum. There was no such person as Mrs. Wayne Wilmo...more

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You never wanted me to be real. You never wanted anyone to be. But you didn’t want me to show it. You wanted an act to help your act...

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If you want my advice, Peter,” he said at last, “you’ve made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work....more

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Happiness is self-contained and self-sufficient. Happy men have no time and no use for you. Happy men are free men.

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I want to sleep with you. Now, tonight, and at any time you may care to call me. I want your naked body, your skin. your mouth, your hands...I want yo...more