Ayn Rand Quote

“When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, 'Who is destroying the world?' You are.”

Ayn Rand

~ Ayn Rand
[Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum] (1905-1982) Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter
Atlas Shrugged, p. 386 (1957)

Corruption , Morality , Plunder , Production , Survival

Ratings and Comments

J Allen, Arlington, Va 12/27/10

Christine Morabito, Haverhill 12/27/10

J Calcutt, NYC 12/27/10

cal, lewisville, tx 12/27/10

Ayn Rand was well ahead of her time.

J Carlton, Calgary 12/27/10

Excellent Quote. And from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"...another literary warning --“Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed? . . . We want them broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts that you’re up against – and then you’ll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We’re after power and we mean it. . . . . There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of lawbreakers – and then you cash in on the guilt. Now that’s the system, . . . that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”

E Archer, NYC J Carlton, Calgary 8/30/22

Right on, Carlton!.

E Archer, NYC 12/27/10

Right on! Thanks, Carlton, for the exerpt from Atlas Shrugged -- strikes the nail on the head.

J Carlton, Calgary 12/27/10

Archer, check out Bob Livingstons - Personal Liberty Digest. Some good articles there.

Carol, Georgia 12/27/10

Read Ayn Rand 40 years ago. She was so right. Looks like it's time for a reread.

Johann Hollar, St. Paul 12/27/10

It is pointless to remain a cog in this pathetic machine called capitalism.

E Archer, NYC Johann Hollar, St. Paul 8/30/22

That's not capitalism — it's socialism. You've been duped.

Mike, Norwalk Johann Hollar, St. Paul 8/30/22

Johann, please define capitalism. In fact, being a cog in socialism is really pathetic.

Carol, Georgia 12/27/10

@ Johann. Please go to this link. Milton Friedman explains the pathetic machine called capitalism. You'll find related videos there which may just open your eyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvNzi7tmkx0

Carol, Georgia 12/27/10

@Johann. The link I just sent is of Milton Friedman, but it is not the one I meant to send, so I'm including the link that will explain capitalism.

Carol, Georgia 12/27/10

@Johann http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A&feature=related

Roland, Bonner's Ferry 12/2/12

WARREN, OLATHE 4/5/13

Mike, Norwalk 8/30/22

We hold this truth to be self evident with history repeating the extreme accuracy of this quote — over and over and over again. The implementation of socialism (communism, fascism, wokeconism, etc.) is but one of the immoral examples fitting this quote.

Ronw13, ID 8/30/22

As the banker/lending houses will agree, True Capitalism is a Natural law of nature, socialism on the other hand is nothing more than an ideology parading as a cure all for the woes caused by "legalized plunder" by a corrupt elitist socialite crowd. Purloining out the back gate of so-called charity.

don 8/30/22

Weak. Christians (bill of rights) will always remain faithful to the founders and founding documents, regardless of how far they are persecuted.

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 8/30/22

In the real world evil is the means to death, morality is the means to survival.

Mike, Norwalk Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 8/31/22

Sillik, your comment is very accurate on its face; — especially when you consider the 20th century. Socialism is one of the greatest evils ever known. Marx was always puzzled because people wouldn't think or do the things he thought they would (he and his religion were, as a rule, always wrong). Socialism, in its varying applications (communism, fascism, etc.) was the most deadly, destructive, ANTI-nature's law and ANTI-moral of any theocracy ever invented.

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown Mike, Norwalk 8/31/22

Mr Mike Norwalk: Socialism is pure science and the science of living. With that said I'm going to try to analyze your assertion of "one of the greatest evils ever known." Mike, our species has harbored a very criminal past. These individuals that have been associated with the term I use were certainly not line with what I'm promoting. If the information is correct Stalin is associated with death of 25 million individuals, only to be out done by the chairman Mao at 28 million. I don't fully understand the intentions of these individuals. But by my intent and to my knowledge I have not tried to kill anyone or have I to my knowledge killed anyone.

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 8/31/22

Examination continued Mike Norwalk: You are in close proximity of the Mao and Stalin traditional behavior evidenced by your psychotic mentality and supporting psychotic behavior. You are harnessing more power then these two individuals ever dreamed and poised to use it to destroy all of humanity. Your behavior is supporting a conspiracy of the destruction of 8 billion lives. Your mentality wants Mao and Stalin to look like amateur murders compared to yourself and rest of your conventional buddies.

Mike, Norwalk Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/1/22

You truly are a socialist — you spew ad hominems with no facts, name call others with no concept of the person, lie about others and everything and have no clue concerning the absolutes of the laws of nature and of nature's God. I gladly would measure the physical, financial, time, money and effort I've spent helping those in need to your humanitarian ventures. Many socialists have not gone down the path of Mao, Stalin or Hitler, that doesn't make the theocracy of socialism less destructive or deadly.

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 8/31/22

Correction Examination Mike Norwalk: But by my intent and to my knowledge I have not tried to kill anyone, nor have I, to my knowledge, killed anyone.

Mike, Norwalk Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/1/22

lololol — hahahaha ;-) (-; to your intent and knowledge you haven't killed anyone ;-) I guess that means you won't confess to any of your actions while existing under a severely demented mental state or under the influence of drugs. lololol — hahahaha ;-) ;-) ;-)

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown Mike, Norwalk 9/1/22

Mike Norwalk: You be specific Mike, who, who who have I killed?

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 8/31/22

Examination continued Mike Norwalk: Whatever you call yourself, the fact remains you are every bit the anti-social psychotic Mao and Stalin character. You and your buddies have tried to launch world war 3 twice already in the form of the bombing of the trade towers, coronavirus and now probably a third with the Russian/Ukrainian conflict. You need to halt your suicidal behavior.

Mike, Norwalk Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/1/22

Sillik, it is obvious you are a socialist by how often you follow after the admonition of one of your gods, Lenin: "a lie told often enough becomes the truth".

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/2/22

Mike Norwalk I appreciate your candor and indirect compliment, but despite what say about Lenin or anyone else I alone am the only one who can ever, in all of history, realistically be called the Socialist, sorry to have to make this admission. Thanks once again Mike.

Mike, Norwalk Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/2/22

Sillik, you are welcome. Thank you for the reminder; I forgot the whole god status thing — able to lie and call it truth, spew non-sense like it will be recorded as brilliant altruisms, redefine words like someone is going to write a whole new dictionary, etc., etc., etc. Again, you are welcome.

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown 9/4/22

Mike Norwalk: You can't lose with a winner.

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