"

You love your work. God help you, you love it! And thats the curse. That's the brand on your forehead for all of them to see. You love it and they kno...more

"

I have yet to see a genius or a hero who, if stuck with a burning match, would feel less pain than his undistinguished average brother.

"

Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to s...more

"

...if ever you hear a man telling you that you must be happy, that it’s your natural right, that your first duty is to yourself—that will be the man w...more

"

The exquisite kindliness of her manner suggested that their relationship was of no possible consequence, that she could not pay him the tribute of hos...more

"

A young woman stood before the railing, speaking to the reception clerk. Her slender body seemed out of all scale in relation to a normal human body; ...more

"

Sacrifice does not mean the rejection of the worthless, but of the precious

"

Sacrifice is the surrender of that which you value in favor of which you dont

"

To love a woman for her virtues is meaningless. She's earned it, it's a payment, not a gift. But to love her for her vices is a real gift, unearned an...more

"

You have sacrificed justice to mercy. You have sacrificed independence to unity. You have sacrificed reason to faith. You have sacrificed wealth to ne...more

"

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

"

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

"

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

"

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

"

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