3 Quotes About John Galt

John Galt is a fictional character in a novel by Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged. He is the protagonist of the novel and is a member of an unnamed society in which all men have abandoned their work. He is known for his heroic deeds in the battle against the government and his speeches to the public about the virtues of selfishness and capitalism. In an interview with Ayn Rand, when asked what Mr Read more

Galt’s philosophy was, she replied, “It’s not a philosophy. It’s just being John Galt.” The John Galt of today is not the same man who appears in Atlas Shrugged. Although many of these quotes are attributed to him (and were popularized by Ayn Rand), they are not exclusive to him and can be applied to any person who has abandoned their role in society–whether it be work, family, or even religion–in pursuit of their own personal goals.

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Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all of man’s values, it has to be earned. His own happiness is man’s only moral purpose, but only his own virtue can achieve it… Life is the reward of virtue- and happiness is the goal and the reward of life. Happiness is a state of non-contradictory joy- a joy without penalty or guilt, a joy that does not clash with any of your values and does not work for your won destruction, not the joy of escaping from your mind, but using your mind’s fullest power. Happiness is possible only to a rational man, the man who desires nothing but rational goals, seek nothing but rational values and finds his joy in nothing bu rational actions. The symbol of all relationships among such men, the moral symbol of respect for human beings, is the trade… A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved. Ayn Rand
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He stepped to the window and pointed to the skyscrapers of the city. He said that we had to extinguish the lights of the world, and when we would see the lights of New York go out, we would know that our job was done. Ayn Rand