Quotes. |
A: Ayn Rand. |
To know one's own desires,
their meaning and their costs requires the highest human virtue: rationality. |
The mind leads, the emotions
follow. |
The verdict you pronounce
upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your
life. |
"I swear by my life and
my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask
another man to live for mine."
--John Galt in 'Atlas Shrugged'
by Ayn Rand |
It stands to reason that
where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting sacrificial offerings.
Where there's service, there's someone being served. The man who
speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends
to be the master. |
Force and mind are opposites;
morality ends where the gun begins. |
The right to agree with
others is not a problem in any society; it is the right to disagree that
is crucial. It is the institution of private property that protects and
implements the right to disagree... |
To fear to face an issue
is to believe the worst is true. |
To arrive at a contradiction
is to confess an error in one's thinking; to maintain a contradiction is
to abdicate one's mind and to evict oneself from the realm of reality. |
The smallest minority on
earth
is the individual. Those who deny individual rights, cannot claim to be
defenders of minorities. |
There is a level of cowardice
lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist. |
Man's character is the product
of his premises. |
To rest one's case on faith
means to concede that reason is on the side of one's enemies- that one
has no rational arguments to offer. |
The basic need of the creator
is independence. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion.
It cannot be curbed, sacrificed or subordinated to any consideration whatsoever.
It demands total independence in function and in motive. To a creator,
all relations with men are secondary. |
Even if smog were a risk
to human life, we must remember that life in nature, without technology,
is wholesale death. |
The only purpose of education
is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping
him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual.
He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He
has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and
he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort. |
Economic power is exercised
by means of a positive, by offering men a reward, an incentive, a payment,
a value; political power is exercised by means of a negative, by the threat
of punishment, injury, imprisonment, destruction. The businessman's tool
is values; the bureaucrat's tool is fear. |
The world you desired can
be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours. But to win it
requires total dedication and a total break with the world of your past,
with the doctrine that man is a sacrificial animal who exists for the pleasure
of others. Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of
your pride. Fight for the essence, which is man, for his sovereign rational
mind. Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing
that yours is the morality of life and yours is the battle for any achievement,
any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on
this earth."
-- John Galt quote
ending Ayn Rand's last public speech (New Orleans Nov 1981) |
|
B: van anderen. |
Robert Heinlein |
There Ain't No Such Thing
As A Free Lunch: TANSTAAFL. |
Beware of altruism.
It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil. |
Never appeal to a man's
"better nature". He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest
gives you more leverage. |
Anyone can see a forest
fire. Skill lies in sniffing the first smoke. |
The greatest productive
force is human selfishness. |
To stay young requires unceasing
cultivation of the ability to unlearn old falsehoods. |
There is no worse tyranny
than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you
think it would be good for him. |
No intelligent man has any
respect for an unjust law. |
A competent and self-confident
person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom
of neurotic insecurity. |
A human being shoud be able
to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design
a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone,
comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal,
fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. |
One man's "magic" is the
other man's engineering. "Supernatural" is a null word. |
If it can't be expressed
in figures, it's not science; it is opinion. |
What are the facts ?
Again and again -- what are the _facts_ ? Shun wishful thinking,
ignore divine revelation, forget what "the stars foretell", avoid opinion,
care not what the neighbours think, never mind the unguessable "verdict
of history" -- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You
pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the
facts ! |
Stupidity can not be cured
with money, or through education, or by legislation.Stupidity is not a
sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal
crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried
out automatically and without pity. |
Live and learn. Or you don't
live long. |
Never underestimate the
power of human stupidity. |
Taxes are not levied for
the benefit of the taxed. |
(From: The Moon Is A
Harsh Mistress)
"[...] what ARE your political
beliefs ?"
"I'm a rational anarchist.
[...] A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as 'state' and 'society'
and 'government' have no existence save as physically exemplified in the
acts of self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible
to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame... as blame, guilt, responsibility
are matters taking place inside human beings singly and nowhere else. But
being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations,
so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world... aware that his effort
will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failure."
"Hear, hear !" I said. "'Less
than perfect.' What I've been aiming for all my life."
"You've achieved it," said
Wyoh. "Professor, your words sound good but there is something slippery
about them. Too much power in the hands of individuals -- surely you would
not want... well, H-missiles for example -- to be controlled by one irresponsible
person ?"
"My point is that one person
IS responsible. Always. If H-bombs exist -- and they do -- then some MAN
controls them. In terms of morals THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 'STATE'.
Just men. Individuals. Each responsible for his own acts." |
|
Nelson Mandela.
"Mandela's Speech" is
aanzienlijk korter dan John Galt's speech, maar even krachtig. |
Our deepest fear is not
that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our
darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am
I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT
to be?
You are a child of God. Your
playing ”small” does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening
about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure about you.
We were born to manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of
us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. |
|
Mijn Credo.
De volgende 15 regels
heb ik gedestilleerd uit een langere lijst, die ooit gepost is op de Extropians-mailinglist. |
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By adhering to a strong honest
philosophy, you will remain guiltless, blameless, independent and maintain
control over your life. Without a sound philosophy, your life will eventually
crumble.
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Fill your life with positive
expectations. Demand the best. Attitude and desire contribute to 90% of
your success. Anyone can learn the physical mechanics.
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Keep an active mind, and continue
to grow intellectually. You either grow or regress. Nothing stands still.
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High self-esteem can only come
from moral productivity and achievement. The source of lasting happiness
can never come from outside yourself through consuming values - but
only from within yourself by producing values.
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If your purpose of life is security,
you will be a failure. Security is the lowest form of happiness.
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Life operates in reverse action
to entropy. Therefore the universe is hostile to life. Progress is a continued
effort to swim against the stream.
-
Constantly strive to increase
order and discipline in your life. Discipline usually means doing the opposite
of what you feel like doing. Life is easy if you play it the hard way and
hard if you try to play it the easy way.
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Cherish time, your most valuable
resource. You can never make up the time you lose. It's the most important
value for any productive happy individual and is the only limitation to
all accomplishment. To waste time is to waste your life.
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Be explicit and semantically
precise in all communications, agreements and dealings. Summarize
and write down important discussions... and make sure all sides agree.
Putting agreements in writing avoids misunderstandings.
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Cut all ties with dishonest,
negative or lazy people.
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Religiously nourish your body
with proper nutrition, exercise and rest.
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Take full control of, and responsibility
for, your conscious mind and all aspects of your life. Do not depend on
others. Being incompetent or dependent in any part of your life or business
opens you up to manipulation and irrationality.
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The purpose of life is to delay,
avoid and eventually reverse death.
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There is no such thing as a
good idea unless it is utilized.
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The best way to get started
is to get started. Do it now... and work every project to its conclusion
with single-minded concentration.
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