Is Ayn Rand's most popular quote actually ethical to use?
Of all the powerful and memorable lines from Ayn Rand and her fictional characters, over the years this one has become the most popular:
"The Question Isn’t Who Is Going to Let Me, It’s Who Is Going to Stop Me."
Do a search on Amazon for that quote and you'll find it on a lot of products. That's exciting and encouraging to me.
The issue is, she never said that, exactly. It's a paraphrase and condensation from a conversation with Howard Roark in The Fountainhead. The link I provided from The Quote Investigator has a good recounting and explanation for it's evolution over the years.
I happen to love this quote. And I want to use it with a book project I have in the works. But another Objectivist told me that it isn't appropriate to use because it's not actually an accurate quote from Ayn Rand.
Yet, it does remain true to the original source and sentiment. And it has brought Ayn Rand into more popular culture awareness. The more this quote is used and spread, the better I say.
What's the reaction and judgment of others here in our Gulch? I would love to see an intelligent discussion and debate.
Thanks, Brett
"The Question Isn’t Who Is Going to Let Me, It’s Who Is Going to Stop Me."
Do a search on Amazon for that quote and you'll find it on a lot of products. That's exciting and encouraging to me.
The issue is, she never said that, exactly. It's a paraphrase and condensation from a conversation with Howard Roark in The Fountainhead. The link I provided from The Quote Investigator has a good recounting and explanation for it's evolution over the years.
I happen to love this quote. And I want to use it with a book project I have in the works. But another Objectivist told me that it isn't appropriate to use because it's not actually an accurate quote from Ayn Rand.
Yet, it does remain true to the original source and sentiment. And it has brought Ayn Rand into more popular culture awareness. The more this quote is used and spread, the better I say.
What's the reaction and judgment of others here in our Gulch? I would love to see an intelligent discussion and debate.
Thanks, Brett
SOURCE URL: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/10/11/let-me/
Just a thought.
“The Question Isn’t Who Is Going to Let Me, It’s Who Is Going to Stop Me."
...seems to be derived from two consecutive sentences in Ayn Rand’s, “The Fountainhead”:
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
The underlying concept is the same.
"I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." - John Galt
... as the signature line on my e-mails. I thought that was the more popular quote...
If the government doesn't like it: they will stop you. If there are no laws or regulations regarding the activity, they will create them (even if they are rather arbitrary) to do their best to stop you.
Sorry: that got political.
I like the idea that this is a bait for a hook. Without knowing the source, this quote would take off today. If it were attributed it to Rose the Riveter, Megan Rapinoe or Colin Kapernick it will vigorously thrive.
I'd love one of those a bumper sticker, like my "Legalize Freedom" sticker. Nice conversation piece, that no one disagrees with. Then when you discuss it, they start thinking.
A quote like this would certainly be embraced by the radical left.
The fact that it is attributed to AR is an added plus. It would not bother the left for a second that they put AR on the "burn her books" list. There is no ethical or moral compass there.
Eric
To say that it is not her own because it was uttered by one of her characters is nonsense.
By the same logic none of the contents of AS is her own view of the Deep State or none of the long philosophical manifesto by John Galt is her own, either.