Wednesday 5 September 2007

Excerpts from "We the living" by Ayn Rand

I will post few of the statements I liked in the book...

1. ) K : " If I asked people whether they believed in life, they'd never understand what I meant.It's a bad question. It can mean so much that it can really mean nothing. So I ask them if they believe in God. and if they say they do - then, I know they don't believe in life. "

A : "why ?"

K : " Because, you see, God - whatever anyone chooses to call God - is one's highest conception above his own possibility thinks very little of himself and his life. It's a rare gift, You know, to feel reverence for your own life and to want the best, the greatest, the highest possible, here, now, for your very own. To imagine a heaven and then not to dream of it, but to demand it. "

( This one is so controversial and yet both sides are equally true.. I do believe in God as a perfect entity and me as a life who would try to reach perfection .. so I do believe in God as much as in Life. )


2). A : " what better purpose can he live for ? "
K: " Don't you know that there are things, in the best of us, which no outside hand should dare to touch? Things sacred because, and only because, one can say : " This is mine" ? Don't you know that we live only for ourselves, the best of us do, those who are worthy of it ? Don't you know that there is something in us which must not be touched by any state, by any collective, by any number of millions? "

( Liked this one a lot )

3). Everything seems so much simpler when there's a limit set.

( so simple statement yet so true )

There are ample such statements , but I thought this was enough to quote over here..

3 comments:

Bhavesh said...

just on that 2nd one. I believe if i cannot share every part of my body, mind and soul with my life partner, i am not doing justice to that relationship.

chinmai said...

Bhavesh,
this is my take on the same ....

this is a conversation between 2 ppl , where one of the fella comments on 3rd person's worth. In response to that he receives a reply from the protagonist that every individual has certain best in himself/herself which no other fellow of the world should dare to touch by means of putting someone down /insulting or doubting someones abilities .. moreso what better way of cherishing life by concentrating in building ones own efficiencies and in turn live for ourselves..what is your purpose on this earth ... this approach may be called self centric in a positive sense and it doesnt ve a gray or dark shade to it at all..

WritingsForLife said...

these are touchy statements...
requires a lot of thinking, before i can actually comment :)