"The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is never to place his prime goal within the persons of others. His moral obligation is to do what he wishes, provided his wish does not depend primarily upon other men. This includes the whole sphere of his creative faculty, his thinking, his work. But it does not include the sphere of the gangster, the altruist and the dictator.
"A man thinks and works alone.
A man cannot rob, exploit or rule—alone.
Robbery, exploitation and ruling presuppose victims.
They imply dependence.
They are the province of the second-hander."
Rulers of men are not egoists. They create nothing. They exist entirely through the persons of others. Their goal is in their subjects, in the activity of enslaving. They are as dependent as the beggar, the social worker and the bandit. The form of dependence does not matter..."
~Ayn Rand on Selfishness
~Ayn Rand on Selfishness
