Journals of Ayn Rand
Overview
 
Journals of Ayn Rand is a book derived from the private journals of novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....

, and published in 1997, 15 years after her death. It was edited by David Harriman with the approval of Rand's estate.
When Rand died in 1982, her private papers were left to her student and heir Leonard Peikoff
Leonard Peikoff
Leonard S. Peikoff is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an author, a leading advocate of Objectivism and the founder of the Ayn Rand Institute. A former professor of philosophy, he was designated by the novelist Ayn Rand as heir to her estate...

. Starting in 1983, Peikoff began authorizing the publication of excerpts from her journals and other unpublished writings.
Quotations

The purpose of my work: to introduce, or, rather, to re-introduce the original ways of human development. Once viewed as personal responsibility, personal growth, education, and social doctrine were highly effective. Now that they have begun to be approached as an "acceptance," our ideals have begun to rely on the willingness of others to go along with our philosophies. It is now time for us to return to the selfish ideals of the past.

Never demand of another that which would constitute his sacrifice to you. Never grant that which would constitute your sacrifice to him.

Never initiate the use of force against another man. Never let his use of force against you remain unanswered by force.

The actions of all group leaders throughout history have had one common element: altruism|altruism - common good of the collective. Religious leaders and the "moral" majority condemn the likes of Adolf Hitler|Hitler, Joseph Stalin|Stalin, etc. but their movements and foundations are alike.

... 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?

The human race has only two unlimited capacities: one for suffering and one for lying. I want to fight religion as the root of all human lying and the only excuse for human suffering.

All progress is the work of individuals.

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.

The second handers offer substitutes for competence such as love, charm, kindness - easy substitutes - and there is no substitute for creation.

On second handers: [They are] always concerned with people - not facts, ideas, work or production. What would happen to the world without those who think, work, and produce? Category:Literary works

 
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