Profile: Ayn Rand (Legacy Series)
The essence of life is the achievement of joy. From Atlas Shrugged: “We never had to take any of it seriously, did we?” "No, we never had to."
Ayn Rand: The essence of life is the achievement of joy
“We never had to take any of it seriously, did we?”
From Letters of Ayn Rand: “What Dagny expresses [in Atlas Shrugged] is the conviction that joy, exaltation, beauty, greatness, heroism, all the supreme, uplifting values of man's existence on earth, are the meaning of life…that one must live for the sake of such exalted moments as one may be able to achieve or experience, not for the sake of suffering…"
Suffering is Not the Essence of Life. “…that happiness matters, but suffering does not—that no matter how much pain one may have to endure, it is never to be taken seriously, that is: never to be taken as the essence and meaning of life—that the essence of life is the achievement of joy, not the escape from pain.”
The Fundamental Division: Pro-Man, Pro-Mind, Pro-Life. “…the most fundamental division among men is between those who are pro-man, pro-mind, pro-life–and those who are anti-man, anti-mind, anti-life. ... It is the difference between those whose basic motive is the desire to achieve values, to experience joy—and those whose basic motive is the desire to escape from pain, to experience a momentary relief from their chronic anxiety and guilt.”
No Fear of Death. Asked about her own death, Ayn Rand remarked late in life that she had no fear of death—in death, one does not exist as a living being, and so one has neither fear, nor pain, nor hope. She remarked that death would mean the end of the world for her.
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