both are lousy writers that spawned moronic cults.

Also, google her bio----she was a right-wing "informing bitch" during the 50's.

Ms. Rand was a true visionary and master of the philosophical novel whose theory of rational self interest is often confused by the clueless with hedonism.

      She posits only that each person “is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.”
While this view may be questionable as a matter of ethics, it works best in support of a pure capitalist system and in rejection of most communist ideas.

  So while your statement is technically correct, it is misleading without context.

       I just admire her as a writer -  The Fountainhead is a  true tour de force in making architecture leap off the written page and come alive. No one else can describe something as a basic as  the design of a building and make it seen as a metaphor for a life force.

But pass up the movie - it was terrible.

particularly the Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. For me, they were a good counterbalance to my idealism and belief in the "common good." I think whenever society steers too much to one direction, there becomes a need for someone steering just as hard in the opposite direction, to provide a more sane trajectory and path. The task of the individual is to find that balance for themselves and implement in their daily lives.

That's why I work for the government. Government taxes business cretins, and sometimes puts them in jail, all the while redistributing that wealth to me for wasting time on the web most of my workday. Plus, I get a metric ton of job security, a very nice retirement package, and the best health care in the country. If private business gave me a better offer, then I'd jump on board with them, but since they're more interested in the destruction of the American middle class, I'm more than happy to work for the destruction of them.

Happy birthday Ayn!

Everybody vigorously pursue your own interests.

And why not?

The Virtue of Selfishness
Philosophy: Who Needs It?

For even better fun, read Thus Spake Zarathustra followed by Erich Fromm's "Man for Himself"

I cite these two works because Rand stole from them shamelessly sans credit.