Here I will put a short precautionary note which I also put on my notes in Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: “I do not openly endorse Rand’s materials, but have found, as with the apocrypha, that there is lots of good in them. If the reader can throw out the bad and keep the good, discerning which is which by the Spirit of God, there are things here which can lead a soul to do good, work hard, and be a man of integrity. In particular, the love stories embedded in the text are not appropriate. The characters find themselves in difficult situations, but they could have done better despite that. Naturally we don’t expect everyone to understand the fullness of God’s standards in these matters, but it is nice to find authors who do. Needless to say, I still present these notes on the text to the reader as I do believe there are good lessons to be learned.”
Introductory note on The Fountainhead:
This was a good book; some parts that were weird/ridiculous (particularly the love story, which caused Phyllis Schlafly to put the book down), but for the most part the book was insightful on how to use reason.
Rand is an atheist and doesn’t subscribe to the possibility of revelation, but I still value her writing as it has compelling ideas of human progress, and she taps into the spirit of freedom frequently, despite not having the full picture. Remember, the spirit of freedom is the spirit of Christ (2 Cor. 3:17, James 1:25, Rom. 8:21, Alma 61:15, 3 Ne. 21:4). Nevertheless, a person must be open to the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ if they are to understand the whole picture. Doubtless, the name of Christ has been misconstrued in our time to such a great extent, that many rational people can see through the false claims, and have developed a mistrust of Christ in the context of contemporary (false) claims to Christianity.
Where Rand’s ideas don’t interfere with God’s laws, I quite enjoy reading her material. As I’ve stated in my book notes on Atlas Shrugged, much of what Rand teaches butts heads with mainstream Christianity but coincides well with the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The reader of The Fountainhead can find compelling insights, be they religious or non-religious. I have added commentary to my highlights of her book which add religious insight, but the majority of these book notes are simply things I’ve jotted down about the text as I read it, things which stood out as interesting and compelling.
Some main ideas of this text are:
The human species is a glorious species, that they have potential for greatness, that evil men (typically socialists) try to tear down the greatness of others to usurp power.
The great man will have to stand against the whole world if he adheres to upright principles to do his work.
The creative genius does service to mankind by creating, more so than by standing in soup kitchen lines.
The core duty one person has to another is to not interfere with their freedom.
A creative person has only the right to govern his creations.
Note: The restored gospel teaches that even God only rules over things He created, He doesn’t seek to control the creations of others; this, as Rand explains, makes him (or other creative people who don’t seek to rule over others), independent, and independence is the measure of one’s personal character. End of note.
Sometimes the most evil dogmas are taught with the nicest voiced people, who make themselves appear holy and kind, but really keep people from progressing.
There’s only so much schools can teach you, so drop out if they are teaching you nonsense.
Note: For most of us we don’t have a strong enough position to drop out of school even if there’s some bogus, but ultimately, we have to stand against bogus schools. We have to not waste our lives. We have to resist slavery. End note.
Don’t just learn to copy what’s already been done. Don’t use old materials to build new things; Each material is to be used differently as each is different.
That excellence involves creating majestic things and everyone rejecting them. Excellence involves the pain of hearing ignorance paraded as enlightenment, and the roaring applause of the crowd when such ideas are presented.
You can work during school to pay your way; you don’t need to rely on others.
True romantic love involves not micromanaging your partner.
Don’t use loved ones as a maneuverer to advance in your career; don’t seek to have an advantage because of who your closest friends and family are, etc.
Note: Dreadful are the many companies that tell you to focus on exploiting your close friends and family to get sales. End note.
The man with a great mind is always being a hero, always working, finds pure joy in it, and the pain that comes with it is far preferred to the vanity of stupor.
It is easier to do hard labor than to do easy labor for a cause you don’t agree with.
Find joy in your work and everyone will hate you for it; they say just pander to what the masses want, and most do that. But when someone comes along who does something great and loves that intrinsically, people envy and hate them, for they have done something they dismissed as impossible.
The fallen man uses tactics of deceit, not morals and work, to rise in business – he plays people off each other when they stand in the way of a position he wants.
The artist creates based on his genius, not based on the whims of others.
It’s better to have morals than high wage jobs if there comes a choice between the two.
Some people are only shelves with the name of who are inside, just a collection of the opinions of their friends. They don’t really have any morals of their own, they just do what’s popular. These people don’t really exist. They are just remnants of things from the past and they cannot be persuaded, as you cannot reason with the dead.
What people do in their free time when they have extra money or on weekends when they don’t have to work reveals their character, and it’s often pitiful what they spend their hard-earned work on.
As every muscle having a function which pertains to the body so should a house be – it can be based on its needs not having all the superfluous additions.
Note: I think Rand takes this theme a little far throughout the book, but so it is. End note.
We don’t admire people who’ve done something outstanding, but whose personal lives are full of immorality and decay we now admire.
The hero Howard frankly forgave Peter immediately and said forget about it when Peter spoke of great hatred for Howard (because of Howard’s success). Howard wasn’t overly social with Peter. Forgiving him didn’t mean he had to be; but he didn’t hold a grudge.
Prestige is overrated. It is a stamp of approval from the masses to those people who live second-hand lives. They don’t have any personal desires beyond the pursuit of popularity.
If you don’t love yourself, you cannot have love or respect for others.
Note: But self-love doesn’t mean self obsession either. Rand focuses on pursuit of self interest, and that is important, but it’s also important to be generous. Rand focuses on generosity within a person’s skillset, and the free market principle that making something and selling it at market price is indeed generous, a gift of one’s best, and that the financial aspect of it is appropriate element of giving. End note.
The person who has self-respect has the ability to like and respect others, and therefore only the person with sufficient self-love and self-respect would give their life for someone else in danger.
Note: Ones view of humans needs to be high, and that has to include yourself. Religion, in particular the Bible, does a tremendous job at teaching respect for all human life. End note.
Rand speaks of ‘secondhand’ people who don’t make contributions but just leech off of the work of others. The worst secondhand person is the person who goes after power. This is a person who is not living for his work, but is living for the approval of others.
If you help others where they should not be helped, you overload them with more than they can carry, and it blows a circuit and ruins their life.
The great artist and the mediocre artist both have a lot of flops. The great artist probably even more flops. But the difference is that the great artist’s flops find their way to the trash can instead of trying to be published.
Note: Rand does a good job at rebuking ‘modern art’ as a scam, sort of an ‘emperor has no clothes’ situation that everyone has bought into.’ End note.
The great man will speak of his work during time of rest. He doesn’t seek to avoid it. He loves what he does, and it shows constantly. He is the same person everywhere, anytime.
Note: This principle applies in many areas. For example, those who have a true love of the gospel will speak of it all the time. Bruce McConkie and his father-in-law Joseph Fielding Smith were known for always talking about the gospel in their spare time meetings together. The idea is to follow your heart and not just follow the crowd. A life invested in what you really believe in is a great life. End note.
You can tell an immensely large amount of things about a person by the first interaction, the beginning impression. The face.
Note: Similarly, it shouldn’t take forever to date someone before knowing whether they are marriage quality. The Latter-day Saints are known for fasting dating toward marriage. This is from their honesty, and from their commitment to the virtue of marriage. End note.
Loneliness & isolation can be positive.
When you love greatness, you hate mediocrity.
Note: Love cannot come without hate. Even God, the essence of love, hates. It says he “hates” those who do violence to the innocent, etc. The mother who loves her children hates the influences that would bring her children down, and she fights for them! Lovers are fighters! See Peter Kreeft’s Culture War book for great analysis on these points. End note.
The socialist tells people to not follow their passions and talents for their careers, but to just think about what society needs.
Note: I heard a saying that you shouldn’t ask what the world needs you to do, but ask what makes you come alive, because the world needs people who have come alive. There’s limits to this of course, but it’s a great principle. Thank God for a free and prosperous society that allows us to specialize in fields of interest! End note.
The socialist has no reverence for sex.
Note: The socialist thinks everything is a public good, even including bodies. They encourage people to share their bodies freely and are against marriage.
The socialist despises individual progress and only talks about societal progress.
Note: They have no eternal standards and blame character on society, never on individual choice.
The socialist doesn’t like it when people excel. Socialists say that people should only climb as high as other people can climb. The socialist calls achievement rude and embarrassing.
The socialist says that personal love and all other personal things are evil.
Go beyond the probable and seek the possible. Seek the heroic, seek the best.
Boards and councils are virtually useless; it’s individuals who get things done. What boards create is generally worse than what any single one on the board could have created on their own. Great minds often work alone.
Note: Freedom advocate John Stossel hilariously said people who like to be on boards tend to think like socialists. End note.
When things going on are enough to make you sick, you can’t let yourself get sick. You just be strong.
Howard believed that exaltation consisted of joy and living to your fullest potential. But the socialist said that exaltation consisted of pure humiliation of your nothingness. The socialist refuses to see the dignity of humanity and their potential.
Note: The restored gospel teaches that religion is to make us better, not just to make us eternal worshippers. We aren’t destined to be God’s pawns, but to be His children, and children grow up to be like their parents! End note.
To cast pearls before swine is a sin because the person values so little of their pearls and lets them be defiled.
Note: Aha! We catch Rand agreeing openly with a Bible teaching! Rand doesn’t speak the language of religion, but she does understand many principles of freedom. Remember, the spirit of freedom is the spirit of Christ (2 Cor. 3:17, James 1:25, Rom. 8:21, Alma 61:15, 3 Ne. 21:4). End note.
Socialists don’t really like people who have an actual love for the poor, such as a social worker who really does truly love the poor.
Note: Nurses and social workers who spend time with patients are often ridiculed. All too often healthcare worker goes around checking the boxes and has no heart in the work. End note.
Self-loathing based in an unhealthy concept of humility leads to unhappiness and a feeling of uncleanness. It stops your potential and makes you tired emotionally, which leads to being tired physically.
Note: The gospel of Christ teaches humility, but not discouragement. God always gives courage, even when that courage has to come with stern rebukes of our behavior. End note.
The self-loathing socialist isn’t grateful for his supposedly selfless service; they start to see the human race as a fallen people. They are jealous when other people are happy. Many socialists develop hatred for the poor they serve.
Supposedly selfless people are never happy. Each human, including the people who want to help others, deserve a level of dignity. The socialist repeatedly teaches people that they shouldn’t care at all about themselves and that the only important people are other people.
The socialist teaches people to lose their identity and forget their souls, to not care about being righteous but to only care about nothing at all and to forget about God’s judgement.
The socialist teaches that individual identity is an illusion and that your only purpose is to melt into the whole.
The socialist teaches only to believe, not to reason; to merely believe in some ideal but not to use your mind as to how to obtain that. The socialist emphasizes feelings over understanding.
The socialist teaches that individuals don’t really matter.
Note: A socialist teaching is that what you do doesn’t matter so much as what the system does. He avoids personal responsibility. He blames his flaws on the system and doesn’t take responsibility for them. End note.
The socialist teaches that you should never stand up for yourself.
The socialist teaches that personal happiness is irrelevant, but in reality, personal happiness contributes to the happiness of the whole.
The socialist teaches that the whole is the only important entity, but in reality, the individual is just as important.
People who aren’t honest in their profession are never confident about themselves. Deep down they’re never sure if what they’ve done in life was worthwhile.
Those who betray beauty to try and fit in with the popular masses are never really sure about what they’re doing. They’re always looking for an excuse to make what they’re doing sound noble. The person they want to convince but just can’t is themselves.
Note: At some point a person becomes ‘beyond feeling’ (1 Ne. 17:45-46) and persuades himself that the wrong path is right, at least superficially, and he refuses to feel deeper down where the truth is. End note.
There is more pain in some people not having opportunity to do what they are passionate about than the pain of a herd of people being run over by a truck. End Note.
Even if you’re reading books out of order your mind will make order of it.
No happy person can be impervious to pain. If a person seems impervious to pain, you know they are not a happy person.
Note: Sometimes we have to put on emotional ‘armor’ to withstand hard situations. But not being able to pull out of it is a bad sign. The surest guarantee of an emotionally stable life is to live in the natural manner centered in family. End note.
To do something halfway is to lie to yourself. It is to create a fissure in yourself.
True self-respect can’t be killed. The worst someone could do to someone else is merely kill their pretense of self-respect.
You can’t have equal love for excellence and unrefined matter.
Note: We aren’t supposed to just worship Earth, we are to build. We are to improve our circumstances. End note.
The quest for self-respect is proof that you don’t have it.
Some literary critics praise bad plays just to stand out, just to be proud of the fact that they can sell a piece of garbage.
The sound perception of an ant does not include lightning. In other words, people try to make the average, everyday life as the heroic life, and they ignore the heroes. When a person really does great things it gets to the point where society can’t comprehend it, so society attempts to whittle the hero and his works down. With socialism, they stop expecting greatness. This is also why socialist literary critics praise garbage writing. They’re making everyone seem equal, but in reality people’s talent and ability vary greatly.
Note: It’s popular today to deny that heroes can exist. Popular to say that we are all pretty bad. They find everything bad they can to trash real heroes who have accomplished mountains more than they themselves have. But in truth, we can accomplish great things if our hearts are turned to love virtue and we focus thereupon. End note.
Large public weddings are hideous. It is a sacrilege of what should be a sacred moment of the climax of two people’s lives. It should be solemn, not overly decorated and populated. It should be more solemn than party.
Note: Weddings are both sacred and joyful occasions. Often we separate the deeper more special wedding ceremony from the more jovial afterparty. Indeed, a person shouldn’t make his wedding a big show, but rather, a humble special occasion, as Rand suggests. A simple church can meet the needs of a wedding as its not what’s on the outside that counts. End note.
The socialist believes that the happiness of others is dangerous.
When a business owner can’t fire whoever he wishes to of his own company, he may as well blow up the building.
Note: Rand takes this idea a little far in the story (the builder actually blows up a building he made which the government tries to control), but the point is that you can do what you want with your own things; the government shouldn’t be able to manipulate your own work; you should have complete control of it. End note.
There is a stage of worship which makes the worshipper himself an item of reverence.
The socialist calls crudeness the eloquent language of the common man and exalts it when he should be reaching for higher things, not just calling the mundane or average the highest excellence. The socialist refuses to see humanity as capable of something higher than average. They refuse to paint high ideals.
Note: Many today call for bad language not to be corrected, but to be respected as another culture. This is patent absurdity and negates true principles and the goodness of intelligence. It is anti intelligence and brews in ignorance and the evils that accompany such. End note.
Note: On refusing to paint high ideals – even our art reflects our rejection of nobility and elegance! We have a trash culture and must return to the greatness we once maintained. When you can make good art, you have the moral responsibility to do so. When great art is available, you have the moral responsibility to use that rather than some blocky disproportionate overly simplified unrealistic art. There is higher morality in realism than abstract art. One good example of this is the company “The Good and the Beautiful” who produces a monthly magazine to educate children full of high quality beautiful art. It is a mockery to the human senses to fill a person with trashy art. End note.
Those who take their work seriously are by nature very religious people.
Note: Religion and religious can be defined as dedication. Discipleship. Disciplined. Someone who masters the self in place of higher ideals. Religion therefore is a universal truth that every human can and should go toward. It is the pursuit of intelligence, dignity, and true achievement. America has a longstanding tradition of being formally religious, and what you might say informally religious, as in being focused on achievement, building, and real progress. Today the woke culture is taking us backward – the modern ‘progressive’ is more ‘regressive.’ But suffice it to say that America builds the world more than any other country. As Dinesh D’Souza points out, some countries boast of playing dominos on the street, but America boasts of building an economy that lifts millions out of poverty and stabilizes the whole world. America is a savior on mount Zion. Now that’s religion! On one occation Joseph Smith and a group of church members were doing a service project for someone, the recipient said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t care much for your religion, but I do appreciate this service!’ Joseph responds in effect, ‘You might say that service is our religion!’ Indeed, the Bible says service is the truest religion. Another aspect of this is government – the saints will maintain constitutional government when society falls apart, and many will come to them, not interested in their formal religion, but interested in the freedom they have to offer. Remember, the spirit of freedom is the spirit of Christ (2 Cor. 3:17, James 1:25, Rom. 8:21, Alma 61:15, 3 Ne. 21:4). End note.
Integrity is much more than just not taking people’s money, it includes holding the same ideals over time.
Convincing people of the glaringly obvious which everyone has chosen to ignore is one of the hardest things to do.
Architecture is music in stone.
Note: And some music, like some architecture, is inherently bad! It’s not just subjective. Someday society will understand the laws of nature pertaining to music and so forth, and find scientifically that bad music is bad, even if enticing to the baser fallen nature of man! End note.
Seeing something truly beautiful and magnificent can give a person the courage to face a lifetime of hardship.
Note: This is why we need good art, good reminders around us of true principles and high ideals. This can be reflected in a clean home, meaningful art, wholesome clothes, etc. End note.
The worst curse of poverty is lack of privacy.
Note: Rand understands that a person needs privacy for dignity. Think of this principle when it comes to modest dress. Do not cast pearls before swine. Some things are private in nature, reserved for special settings only. End note.
Two kinds of greatness are needed for greatness to survive. One, the person who creates great things. Two is the person who can see it and says something about it.
Note: It has been said that to have an impact in the world you need to either do great things, or write about people who do great things. End note.
Excellent people don’t always require the presence of others.
When you are involved in creating something excellent your humble circumstances don’t bother you. You don’t even notice it.
Note: This is a key for healthy living, grateful living, and a happy life. You have to be involved in something, or you’ll just be drawn to the vices of the world to cure your boredom. End note.
True greatness travels by word of mouth. The masses don’t care about it. Those who discover it do so by seeing it first-hand. Like an underground river, it shoots forth from random springs.
People who aren’t happy don’t build great things.
Note: It never was the purpose of true religion to rob people of joy. Truly the purpose of life is to have joy (2 Ne. 2:25). Religion is to check us against stupid alluring paths that would rob us of our joy. The devil wants to destroy us, as do his failed friends, and religion helps us avoid all that. It helps us be aware of the reality of our situation so we can navigate it well, and come off conqueror. End note.
The difficult earned joy makes you feel like a better person. This is a much higher joy than the placid, face value joy.
Some things are too precious to let commoners, the public, see, and freely interact with.
Note: Temples and the wife of God fit this description; the concept of sacred space vs profane space (private vs public). And its not just God, it’s every human. Every human is made in the image of God and is a temple of God. Many principles apply here about what we should say, how we should dress, how we should act, and a general attitude of dignified living. This dignity used to be commonplace, and we must find it again. End note.
When two excellent people speak to each other there is no pressure or pretense; it is open and free as if they’re speaking to themselves.
Excellent people usually don’t care whether others like them or not. There are very few people whose opinion (of themselves) they care about.
When you hate incompetence, you can walk away and do your own work. Or you can take the darker path of trying to control others whom you despise.
Note: Brigham Young told the saints to flee Babylon, to not participate in her economy, to make your own food, your own clothes, your own trends, to be completely independent. If we mingle with Babylon, we can expect to mingle in her plagues. One good example of independence is the Amish. Many examples of their excellence can be given, one is that their babies don’t die from vaccines because they don’t vaccinate. Granted, the Amish do have other problems and I do believe various advancements are inspired by God, but their choices to limit certain things do help them focus on what matters most. You could say similar things about the Hopi Indians and so forth. End note.
When you say ‘amen’ to something, you say yes to it; it becomes yours in conjunction with the creator of it.
Note: You become one. And this by choice. End note.
The soul consists of the ability to say yes or no to things.
Note: Agency begins with our ability to say no. We can always say no. This separates man from beast – we aren’t just driven by instinct and nature – we have our own willpower to choose. We have intelligence and can choose our own way. That often manifests by rejecting various offers. Make sure that you are choosing the highest life you can, because if you don’t, there’s only yourself to blame. Life is simple when you understand the perfect principle of individual accountability. At the judgement bar of God, we will see that making excuses isn’t going to get us where we want to be. The sooner we learn that the better. Stories of greatness are about overcoming obstacles, not about having no obstacles. End note.
Once you say yes to something it never changes. You are the same forever. There are little things along the way you don’t understand, but you are you. Build what you wish. The outcome of it all is you.
A person’s house is a reflection of their character.
Note: Some people don’t care much about their house and focus on other things, but I suppose even that is a statement about a particular aspect of character. But Rand is right that often one’s situation can quickly reflect many things about one’s character. The duty of man is to bring order out of chaos in some way or other. And every man has some amount of temporal responsibility. A house of order is a sign of dignity. End note.
Pain is a stimulant also.
Note: In our comfort seeking world obsessed with self-care, we are forgetting about greatness, sacrifice, and the dignity and joy that can come from doing hard things. The Devil seeks to lure us into a placid state of dependence and shallow comforts. We will never reach our potential in such cozy settings. God on the other hand sends the Holy Ghost to give us peace that the world doesn’t understand, peace that keeps you going when you’re in hard circumstances. Often the irreligious person doesn’t comprehend HOW the Christian does what he does. It is indeed a great secret found out only by those who walk that path of duty and excellence. Such a path involves tapping into a power source beyond the self. End note.
The socialist says that freedom is a nuisance, that everyone would be happier in a highly controlled society, and that those who are selfish should be shot.
Note: Such a view is out of alignment with the true (glorious) nature of human beings. Socialists, Marxists, they think you can rewire humans into something they are not. For example, humans thrive when they have independence freedom and can work on their own projects and when they can keep the fruits of their labors and do with them as they please, including participating in charity in the way they see fit. They like local government. As Aristotle said, man is a political animal – this means he wants to participate in a local community, not to be a drop of water in an ocean – he wants a voice and a place in society. End note.
The socialist believes that compulsory education will in essence force everyone to make good choices and force them to be happy and that they should be taught these ways whether they like it or not, for their own good.
Note: It is the job of parents to teach basic principles of life which are calculated to bring happiness, like work ethic, manners, and yes, letters. It is the duty of parents to guide children toward further education. It is not the job of the state to dictate which path is best for everyone. End note.
The socialist hates art. He says that everyday life is all the art we need and that the majestic paintings, the Shakespeare plays, that all of this is not needed. This is another way the socialist dumbs down the masses to usurp control.
Peter’s real love was art. He fizzled out in the profession his mother pushed him into, architecture. He tried to start painting late in his life after being burned out in the other career he chose, but by then he was mediocre, and likely to remain so.
Note: It’s never too late to start something new, but it does get increasingly difficult to provide with something you haven’t specialized in over time. Each person must balance the advice they get from well-intended friends with what his own mind and heart call him to. End note.
The socialist insists on things constantly changing.
Note: And in the worst way. Their version of progress is to remove foundational time-tested ways of life, and to replace them with popular trends without a foundation. Their biggest mistake is to think that the family is outdated. End note.
The socialist leaders don’t find young talent, they pick someone suitable for their purposes and enthrone them as a pawn.
The socialist knows fully well the subliminal messages he pushes in the news everyday, but no one else knows.
The socialist, metaphorically speaking, creates a mega fertilizer which will kill all certain kinds of plants that he doesn’t like.
To be able to help people, you first must become someone who can get things done. And to be someone who can get things done, you must be someone who loves the work of getting things done. Not just the end product, but the process of the work itself.
To do what you truly want to do is the hardest thing and the most courageous thing to do.
Note: When a person truly wants to serve God, he becomes an unstoppable force for good. You might say that a person who follows his heart in a good direction becomes an unstoppable force for good. End note.
You can’t give away your core identity as an individual without becoming a monster, a hollow shell who goes around looking for the approval of others, who focuses on opinions rather than abilities. You become your own worst enemy. You never trust that what you’re doing is any good because deep down as a human you know that what you’re doing isn’t any good when you’ve given up your core self. When you’ve spent your life pandering to others, bending morals to pander to the cheap barometer of public opinion.
Many rise to the top quickly, go down quickly, and wonder why they fell. The reason is because they never belonged at the top anyway. They were a mere puppet thrown away after their usefulness had passed.
A person brainwashed by socialism devalues himself and nothing is sacred to him anymore. His own life isn’t sacred to him anymore.
The socialist’s past is their present. They take their future lightly and don’t have any real friends. They consider everything as a matter of fact and their own experience as the universal experience of humanity, missing the truth that each life is something sacred and special and unique.
People really in love don’t have to constantly speak to each other as if they’re afraid that their fragile relationship will fall apart. They can enjoy silence together or silence apart. They have deep respect for themselves and for their partner. They trust one another and aren’t suspicious.
People with a healthy self-respect enjoy physical exercise before breakfast.
Note: Or some kind of intellectual exercise before breakfast, etc. Mornings can be a good time for self-improvement and recreation of some kind, particularly some form of meaningful recreation. The word recreate is to create again, so it’s constructive. We aren’t talking about scrolling social media (though there are some good social media pages) or flipping channels on a TV (though there are some good TV channels); we must learn to appreciate wholesome recreation, or we will remain forever small. End note.
The socialist says be selfless and give to others. What they mean by this is the complete opposite of healthy sharing. They mean that you should give your soul away to whatever makes people happy, be that good or evil. The socialist view of selflessness is another way of saying “sell your soul to accommodate the least common denominator.” Everyone sells their soul, that’s what they do every day. The hardest thing is to keep your soul, to have true integrity. Some people call it egotistical, but those seeking their own long-term happiness are always the nicest people, not just in public but everywhere.
Note: The person whose only ambition is to control others is often a wretched person. For example, career politicians like Hillary Clinton are famously mean to everyone around them when they aren’t on camera. So why are they this way? Because they have no personal foundation, and thus no satisfaction that comes from living an inherently good life. They are always focused on the faults of others and blame their problems on others rather than resolving their own problems. End note.
Socialists want a love which permits anything, forgives anything, and expects nothing.
Note: Of course such a love isn’t really love. Do you ‘allow’ a puppy in a home to pee wherever it wants, or to nip at people? Soon that puppy will become a dog that no one wants. If you love someone, you direct them to excellence and truth, you don’t cater to whatever they want. End note.
Note: Peter Kreeft points out that the mobs will forgive you for being wrong, but will never forgive you for being right. In other words, when you are right, it shines a light on the darkness others live in – they don’t want attention drawn to the fact that they are wrong, so they attack those who are right. End note.
Note: Broad is the way of wrong, and narrow is the way of right, so expect trouble if you’re doing something right. Those who do right will always be a minority. That applies everywhere, including doing quality honest dignified work, teaching truth, parenting responsibly, etc. The time has come to stop trying to fit in for the sake of fitting in, to stop catering to politically correct falsehoods, and to stand for the right that we all know deep down is right. We don’t need the backward ways of the world any longer. End note.
Often intellectuals use anger to attempt to cure their boredom.
The great man spends his life in and out of court. This endites not the man, but the society that rejected the man.
Note: Joseph Smith was such a man that wicked society couldn’t tolerate. He was dragged into the courts dozens of times.
Socrates, Galileo, Pasteur, these were martyrs of society – great men that society rejected.
The socialist wants power and they get this by preaching to others to hate power. The men who sought power in the past used physical control, but the man who can control another man’s soul, however corrupt, will have power over others.
The great men cannot be ruled. The socialist enthrones mediocrity.
Happy men are free men. The socialist seeks to take away what is dear and important to man, to not let him have what he wants.
Note: A man is different from a child. Adults need and can handle more autonomy than children. Furthermore, men should have the right to keep the fruits of their labors. It’s an eternal fact that we do things based on the reward set before us, and if you take that reward, our psychology is damned. The Bible says Jesus did the atonement because of the joy that was set before him. God Himself works for glory and joy. For every good deed there is and must be a reward, even if that reward is delayed. End note.
Internal corruption is the age-old tool to get power.
A person’s first duty is to himself, to his own happiness.
Note: this is why we keep God’s commandments instead of doing what the masses want, because our happiness is more important. Because God is love, we can trust his instructions to be for our own benefit. End note.
Peter regularly came to Ellsworth for Ellsworth to convince him that he was a good boy. Peter became Faust and Ellsworth Mephistopheles.
Note: Faust is the classic person who makes a pact with the Devil, Mephistopheles. Indeed, if you are doing what’s right, your own conscience will let you know that what you are doing is good. If you’re not doing good, you’ll always need to run to others for them to tell you that you are good. End note.
The socialist creates an environment where phenomenal people cannot exist. He creates a vacuum of nothing where a great man cannot survive.
Collectivism makes everyone united in slavery. One neck suited for 1 leash.
Note: Would you rather be equally poor, or unequal and rising? True equality means equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. If you want to guarantee equal outcomes as some sort of a ‘right,’ you can only do so at the deletion of real rights. People must have both the freedom to progress and the freedom to not progress. The opportunity to succeed and the opportunity to fail. Truly charitable people recognize these eternal truths, and work within them rather than trying to tear them down. The Devil fell from heaven because he tried to override the system to do things his way. In reality, there is no short cut to greatness, no guarantee of a 100% pass rate. The opportunity to try is the best you can get. There is deliverance in Christ, and that deliverance begins with understanding the nature of personal accountability, work, and freedom. End note.
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The socialist wants you to give up your soul to a leader or a council, to anything. He just wants you to give it up. He wants to kill the individual, to kill man’s soul. When your soul is gone, the rest of his plans for dominion will follow naturally.
The devil tries to get you to obey him in the name of ideals. Then he unveils himself and shows that there were no ideals in what he was getting you to do. But by then you are hooked. You follow him regardless.
Writing has healing power. It is a fountain of life when a thought takes shape in words.
Organizations made without a purpose are especially dangerous.
The great business owner pays his employees plenty of money and calls the shots. He is in charge, not the employees. He pays them enough so they don’t want to leave. This is a fair agreement – they can choose if they want to work there.
A brilliant machine functioning at its best makes immediate decisions and precise commands. A great person can function as a brilliant machine when it comes to his work.
The moochers want freedoms without recognizing the work of creators. If it weren’t for the creator there would be nothing for them to be free about. The creators are who made the real sacrifices.
Note: If you think its hard working under a certain boss, think about how hard it might be for that boss to get all of you employees to work. Being a boss is hard work! End note.
Socialists condone violent protests.
When you play the system of corruption to gain power you become a part of the people who were feeding into the corruption. You’re not independently ruling anything.
To love is to make exceptions.
Note: Indeed, mercy is love, but it is also love when we setup a system and rule it justly. Sometimes tough love is the type of love people need most. You might say that mercy is one for of love. Devotion is another form of love. So is consistency.
To confess pain is not as deep and revealing as to confess joy.
Note: Joy is found by the honest person. Honest in his work, honest in his intentions, honest with himself, honest with those around him. Pain is universal, but abiding joy is the reward of faithfulness, and is the purpose of life which we too often fail to attain. End note.
Only a free person has the capacity for benevolence.
Note: As the good Lord said, we can’t be an utmost farthing while in jail. End note.
Every great new thought and invention is opposed. The inventors are met with hatred, but in the long run they win.
Note: Greed inspires people to be upset about the success of others rather than to applaud it. The competition is ever on, and if someone wants to excel, they are free to do so. It may mean less people want to buy your product, but freedom demands everyone the opportunity to innovate and compete. In a free environment, everyone’s lives get better, even if not immediately or all at the same time. End note.
All of the functions of body and spirit are private and cannot be shared. One cannot breathe or digest or be creative for another.
The thing that is created is the property of the creator.
Note: Ultra secular Obama spoke of businesses in his typical derogatory method when he said ‘if you have a business, you didn’t build that.’ He claims the social structures allowed you to build it, so your business belongs to everyone rather than to yourself. When he fails to see is that everyone had access to the social structures like roads, yet the creator of the business was the only one to create, so clearly he was doing something that others weren’t, and he has full rights to all the benefits of his business. Every laborer is worthy of pay for his products. He sells them in the market for whatever people are willing to pay. End note.
The creator is involved in the conquest of nature, whereas the parasite is involved in the conquest of men. The parasite lives second-hand and needs others; the use of others becomes his prime mode of operation, his basic need is other people. But the basic need of the creator is independence. The creative mind cannot work under any form of compulsion, it demands total independence in function and motive. The parasite teaches that relationships are important above all things. The parasite mindset is to shun independence.
To enslave oneself is the most debased action and it should not be done, not even in the name of love.
Note: John Taylor said he loves to serve God, but would not consider himself a ‘slave’ of God. The true man enslaves himself to no one, nor does God, the truest of men, ask such. God’s highest blessings, which he offers to all, are to become part of his eternal family. End note.
To create, not to suffer, is the highest function of life.
Note: True, but suffering can be a great teacher.
The creator is the man who stands alone.
People think that masochism (joy in pain) is the only substitution for sadism (joy in causing pain), but the real trade is between dependence and independence.
Things that are based on depending on others are evil. The righteous man does not expect anyone to live for him and he does not live for anyone else. Independence is the gauge of human virtue and value. The only standard of personal dignity is independence.
Note: It is appropriate to ask for help at times, but the general approach to life must be independence. End note. Consistent good choices will put you in a position to give help, rather than to ask it. The Bible says God’s blessed people will be lenders, not borrowers. End note.
The first right and duty is the ego, the self. Ones moral obligation is do what he wishes, provided that it does not rely on (or harm) others.
Note: This doesn’t quite cover it, though it is a basic truth to not cause harm. End note.
Robbery exploitation and ruling all involve depending on others. They’re not independent.
Note: Consensual ruling is appropriate. You can rule a kingdom where the constituents of it voluntarily participate. Indeed, all proper government is voluntary. That doesn’t mean government can’t use force – if someone tries to kill you, the government can indeed stop them from killing you, and they can use force to protect you. But opting to live in a society with a certain government is in the first place voluntary. End note.
Note: Another situation where a person must be ruled is if they step outside of their realm of authority. For example, if you steal from others because you cannot produce yourself, those you steal from will be justified in ruling over you to the extent of forcing you to stop harming them.
The individual against the collective is another way of saying the creator versus the second-hander.
Note: It is revealed that God only governs His own creations. In this sense, he isn’t a ruler over others’ things, which is what Rand rebukes in stating that the ruler isn’t independent. God created His children and the Earth they live on, and therefore has the right to govern them. Indeed, only He has the exclusive right to rule; all other rulers are imposters if they aren’t approved by Him. End note.
Note: In another sense, each person is their own person and coexists with God, and thereby is allowed agency to operate in the universe as they will, and may become like the prototype of perfect independence (Jesus Christ) or to become like the prototype of a fallen being, forever captive, destroying others’ things and never really creating anything of his own. End note.
The USA was based on the pursuit of happiness, the ‘selfish’ motive, and that has resulted in it becoming the greatest most free nation in the world.
Note: It goes a little deeper than that. Christian convictions of thrift, hard work, honesty, all of these worked to help America become great. You might say that Christian values are inherently good values, or that Christianity inspires people to do inherently good things. Christianity has better results for civilization than any other system. End note.
The collectivist uses the narrative of altruism in what appears as love, but ends up in blood shed. They say that anything is okay if it is done in the name of altruism.
The integrity of a man’s creative work is of more importance than any charitable endeavor.
Note: Recall the scripture that to obey is better than sacrifice. In other words, if you have some good idea, make sure it squares with true principles. A good end doesn’t justify corrupt means. If your plan to solve world hunger involves theft (something taken seriously by many, called wealth redistribution), then rest assured that your plan is bogus and unsustainable. End note.
Note: Some fail the basic test of morality that is the question of whether to steal medicine to help your child survive. Of course you don’t steal the medicine because stealing would destroy civilization. It would destroy the engine that made the medicine in the first place, resulting in many children dying as there would be no medicine at all. The producers would no longer be able to produce. End note.
Note: This is a big theme in Rand’s Atlas Shrugged book – society steals more and more from business owners until the owners have to flee civilization to survive, and what is left behind turns to darkness as no one is there to create light. End note.
A man’s only obligation to another man is to respect his freedom and to not take part in a slave society.
Note: Rand is correct in that freedom is the basic premise of all proper civilization. We can do a lot of good things based on that premise, but nothing good can come of injustice. As the psalmist said, “he that ruleth over men must be just.” End note.
Note: There is a God in heaven who is the father of mankind, and He delights to bless us all the time, but especially when we help others. Thankfully, helping others is often a natural fruit of helping ones self. The product you sell is a win-win for you and the buyer because the deal is voluntary – you both walk away having an improved situation to your liking. End note.
Note: Those who accept the challenges of independence are welcome to participate in freedom. Those who refuse these responsibilities will find themselves in a condition requiring a ruler to rule over them. Straight is the way and narrow the gate that leads to freedom. Some are unwilling to put in the required work for it. End note.
