'Objectivism says the sole purpose of government is to protect individual rights. I would say the primary purpose of government is to protect individual rights. And any other activities that the government may claim justification for doing must not be of an order that violates anybody's rights. For example, some national weather disaster in which certain problems can arise that the marketplace has no way to respond to quickly enough. Or diseases that travel across borders and don't respect passport laws. I will leave the door open for emergency situations that I just can't imagine being resolved in a market context. If they could be, then they should be. But the fact of emergencies should not be made as justification for violating individual rights, so as you can see, it's a very tiny difference.'[2]

'When your principles seem to be demanding suicide, clearly it's time to check your premises'[3]

'Most of the failings of Objectivism all pertain directly or indirectly to issues of psychology.'[1]

'[F]or somebody who presents herself as a champion of the joy of living, [Rand] has very rigid rules about the path you must walk on in your pursuit of enjoyme…

The Declaration was not a protest against government but against the excesses of government. It prescribed the proper role of government to secure the rights o…

Government exists to create and preserve conditions in which people can translate their ideas into practical reality. In the best of times, much is lost in tra…

The individual who refuses to defend his rights when called by his Government, deserves to be a slave, and must be punished as an enemy of his country and frie…