Ayn Rand: Other

“Any group or “collective,” large or small, is only a number of individuals. A group can have no rights other than the rights of its individual members.”

“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.”

“There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.”

“… if the majority of men cannot know what is good for them, each for himself, how can they know what is good for others by proxy? If they are to be controlled by specialists, how and by what standard can they choose the specialist?”

“Man—every man—is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself; he must work for his rational self-interest, with the achievement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life.”

“If one's actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others.”

“Men who reject the responsibility of thought and reason can only exist as parasites on the thinking of others.”

“If one doesn't respect oneself one can have neither love nor respect for others.”

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.”

“A rational man never distorts or corrupts his own standards and judgment in order to appeal to the irrationality, stupidity, or dishonesty of others.”

“She knew that even pain can be confessed, but to confess happiness is to stand naked, delivered to the witness, yet they could let each other see it without the need of protection.”

“Everyone has the right to make his own decisions, but none has the right to force his decision on others.”

“Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds, I am not a sacrifice on their altars.”

“Remember that rights are moral principles which define and protect a man's freedom of action, but impose no obligations on other men.”

“A Conformist is a man who declares, "It's true because others believe it" - but an Individualist is NOT a man who declares, "It's true because I believe it."
An Individual declares, "I believe it because I see in reason that it is true.”

“Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.”

“I do not seek the good of others as a sanction for my right to exist, nor do I recognize the good of others as a justification for their seizure of my property or their destruction of my life.”

“I feel that others live up to me, if they want me.”

“Serenity comes from the ability to say “Yes” to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say “No” to the wrong choices made by others.”