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Muchacho Enfermo requested more Ayn Rand quotes and I am happy to comply. Because I am a huge fan of her writings, I have decided to do a series of paintings based on them. These quotes are from: Journals of Ayn Rand, edited by David Harriman with a Foreward by Leonard Peikoff. I will not be able to post everything at this time, so expect a series.
I am posting the quotes as I will use them, so you will need to read the book to get the full context of each one. Keep in mind that my work qualifies as propaganda and I intend to use these quotes to reinforce my own views. The imagery will, of course, do the same.
Life is achievement...Give yourself an aim, something you want to do, then go after it, breaking through everything, with nothing in mind but your aim, all will, all concentration - and get it.
...theme is that of humanity - warped by a corrupt philosophy -is destroying the best in man for the sake of enshrining mediocrity... bitterly denouncing a world that seems to have no place for heroism.
...her dominant premise is that men are responsible for the ideas they choose to take... she cites the ideas that have led to the moral corruption in the world, and her implication throughout that men choose to accept these ideas or not...
Your life, your achievement, your happiness, your person are of paramount importance. Live up to your highest vision of yourself no matter what circumstances you might encounter. An exalted view of self-esteem is a man's most admirable quality.
Do not paint one side of the world, the polite side, and be silent about the rest; paint a real picture of the whole, good and bad at once, the "good" looking more horrid than the bad when seen together with the things it tolerates. Men see only one part of life at a time, the part they have before their eyes at the moment. Show them the whole.
...One cannot believe one thing and do another, for such a belief isn't worth a nickle and that's what humanity's doing.
...men act on feelings, not on thoughts.
Show the silent terror that is life at present, the silent terror that hangs over us, chokes us, that everybody feels and nobody can define, the nameless thing that is the atmosphere of humanity.
Show that the mob determines life at present and show exactly who and what that mob is...show that all humanity and each little citizen is an octopus that consciously or unconsciously sucks the blood of the best on earth and strangles life with it's cold sticky tentacles.
Communism, Democracy, Socialism are the logical results of present day humanity. The nameless horror of [these systems], both in their logical end and in the unconscious way that they already rule mankind.
...I want to show that there is no good at present, that the "good" as it is now understood is worse than the bad, that it is only the result, the skin over a rotten inside that rules and determines it: I want to show that all the conceptions of the "good", all the high ideals have to be changed, for now they are nothing but puppets, slaves, and accomplices to the horrible [stifling] of life. There are too many things that people just tolerate and don't talk about.
Show them the real, one and only horror - the horror of mediocrity.
...to be loved by the mob is an insult and that to be hated is the highest compliment it can pay you.
He half-consciously realizes that he possesses something sublime, and that he is going to be condemned for possessing it. From this - his tense, wild, ferocious attitude.
They are too small and weak to feel with all their soul - and they disapprove of such feelings... They are too small and profane themselves to know what sacredness is - and they disapprove of anything being too sacred.
A small soul choked with a poisonous ambition to dominate and crush everybody and everything..."I know that I am inferior and therefore I don't want to let anything superior exist". This is subconscious of course, because one of those muddy souls would never admit it to itself. Consciously it believes that "we are all equal" and defends that equality with all the jealous, greedy zeal of a bulldog that has his teeth sunk into a piece of meat; the dull despotic zeal of mediocrity that is [concerned with] the equality of those above, which it wants to pull down, and not with those below, which it [allegedly] wants to pull up.
Okay, these aren't the most uplifting quotes, but I'm just going in order. The parallelsto modern times and political action are appropriate however. It is amazing tome how many of the problems she foresaw have come to pass, and no one cares.
I would like to know where the hell is John Galt?
This is something I was told in a recent conversation. It was delivered with a straight face – the man was completely serious. He went on to say that it’s easier to watch the campaign ads closer to the election and pick the one who sounds the best. This, essentially, is what is wrong with the American voter. Everything has become dependent on the latest sound bite, the latest promise of a handout, the best way to benefit from the system. People are lazy, they don’t care, and they want to be taken care of. It’s so much easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility, so lets put someone else in charge of everything. These are all reasons why I think Obama has a good chance of winning the election.
He has learned to master the sound bite. He is a performer of high talent, and even runs his campaign like a ringmaster or game show host. You can register to win a place next to him at the convention. The Presidency has become a popularity contest. He seems genuine, even when he changes his position to please the current audience. He inspires people. No one cares about the substance of his speeches, or the consequences of enacting his proposals.
I can’t help but wonder what is so inspiring about income redistribution. How is compulsory volunteerism different from slavery? How is diplomacy going to work against people who dream of martyrdom and the annihilation of our country? When has the government ever run a social program that didn’t become a gaping black hole sucking money and freedom from the people? Where in the Constitution does it say that the government should do these things?
The fourth of July has become just another day to barbeque, because the majority of people don’t want to be free. Freedom requires personal sacrifice, responsibility and work. No one wants to make the effort anymore. Let the government take care of it.
There are so many things wrong with this man’s campaign platform, I don’t even know where to start. After slogging through this repetitive and dogmatic treatise on Obama’s socialist dream for our future, I was absolutely amazed that anyone would vote for this man. I can’t believe that people have gotten so lazy that they would put this guy in office. We’re in for some hard times if Obama gets the Presidency with a Democratic majority in Congress. The only up side to the whole thing is the inspiration it has given me for a series of paintings. The level of taxes I’ll have to pay if I sell them makes me reconsider the practicality of working for myself. The days of bread and circuses are upon us, and it won’t be pretty.
The biggest concern I have with the Blueprint for America, is the economic reality of it. Since the government has no means of income other than taxes, I’m having trouble figuring out how Obama thinks he’s going to pay for it. Even if he empties his tax sheltered account in a gesture of good faith to the American people, he won’t come within a century of being close to paying for his programs. I guess some people think it sounds great to stick it to the rich because they can afford it, but there are several problems with that plan.
First, there aren’t enough rich people in the world to pay for it all. Obama wants to give everything to nearly everyone, and he’s not happy to restrict himself to Americans either. The second problem I see is that government rarely does anything well, and it always costs much more than projected.
I would say he just wants to help people, but he’s really just like any other politician on a power trip. I would say he just doesn’t realize that the numbers don’t add up. The problem is, he said he doesn’t care about the effect on the economy because he’s more concerned about fairness. I have a hard time understanding what’s fair about taking money from people who work for it. He talks about the debt of the Bush administration, but he’s promising to pile on some more. The inevitable result of wealth redistribution in the name of equality, is that everyone ends up poor.
I guess he has the messiah complex too, because I got the impression he’s going to solve all the world’s problems while he’s in office.
We keep hearing about change we can believe in, but no one has really defined what that change is going to be. We’re told that it’s okay that Obama doesn’t have any accomplishments as a Senator because he inspires people. I’m not feeling very inspired, unless you count the ideas I have for paintings about him. I have a feeling he won’t find that very inspiring, so maybe it’s an even trade. He talks about his ability to change Washington, and my ability to help him achieve that goal, but our goals are not the same. I don’t need another wealthy politician/lawyer/pompous oaf telling me that I can make a difference. I already knew that.
I prefer to have the opportunity to improve my life, rather than have the government screw it up. I don’t want to be reduced to the lowest common denominator, I want people to be responsible for themselves, whatever the consequences.
Don’t fool yourself thinking this man cares anything about your needs. He is concerned first and foremost with his own ascent to power. His ideals and their execution are the only other concern he has room for. Not your health. Not your well-being. Not your income. Not your safety. Nothing.
