Ayn Rand Quotes

Will springs from the two elements of moral sense and self-interest.

Selfishness does not mean only to do things for one's self. One may do things, affecting others, for his own pleasure and benefit. This is not immoral, but the highest of morality.

We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself.

Self-interest is not myopic selfishness. It is whatever it is that interests the participants, whatever they value, whatever goals they pursue. The scientist seeking to advance the frontiers of his discipline, the missionary seeking to convert infidels to the true faith, the philanthropist seeking to bring comfort to the needy - all are pursuing their interests, as they see them, as they judge them by their own values.

I am easy-going right up to the borders of my self-interest.

The ambitious sacrifices all to what he terms honor, as the miser all to money.

All too often, as we know from experience, people do not choose life; they do not accept the gospel of life, but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure and not by love. ... As a result, the Living God is replaced by fleeting human idols, which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death.

To be extremely self-centred, only interested in your own satisfaction, always brings negative consequences in the long run.

I invest because I love helping entrepreneurs and watching them learn and succeed. In my opinion your motives are driven by self serving factors around ego satisfaction and "making a buck". My motives and values are very different.

Everybody likes to get as much power as circumstances allow, and nobody will vote for a self-denying ordinance.

How can a world be good in which Money is the moving power, and Self-interest the guiding star?

As frost to the bud, and blight to the blossom, even such is self-interest to friendship; for confidence cannot dwell where selfishness is porter at the gate.

The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest!

Reason is poor propaganda when opposed by the yammering, unceasing lies of shrewd and evil and self-serving men.

Self-interest, or rather self-love, or egoism, has been more plausibly substituted as the basis of morality.

Evil isn't a cosmological riddle, only just selfish human behavior.

To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.

Altruism is a hard master, but so is opportunism.

Conscience whispers, but interest screams aloud.

Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.

Ferris: Are you going to be as impractical as that? Rearden: The evaluation of an action as practical, Dr. Ferris, depends on what it is that one wishes to practice. Ferris: Haven't you always placed your self-interest above all else? Rearden: That is what I am doing right now.

The most evil creatures dont desire the destruction of everythingthey only desire to exploit it for themselves.

Ordinarily, everything we do is in our self-interest. Everything.

There is nothing in your budget for joy. No books, no flowers, no music, not even a cold beer. And there is nothing in your budget to give away to someone else. We don’t help people who don’t have better values than you do.

Intolerance lies at the core of evil. Not the intolerance that results from any threat or danger. But intolerance of another being who dares to exist. Intolerance without cause. It is so deep within us, because every human being secretly desires the entire universe to himself. Our only way out is to learn compassion without cause. To care for each other simple because that 'other' exists.