Thinking is mans only basic virtue, from which all the others proceed. And his basic vice, the source of all his evils, is that nameless act which all of you practice, but struggle never to admit: the act of blanking out, the willful suspension of ones consciousness, the refusal to think - not blindness, but the refusal to see; not ignorance, but the refusal to know. It is the act of unfocusing your mind and inducing an inner fog to escape the responsibility of judgment - on the unstated premise that a thing will not exist if only you refuse to identify it, that A will not be A so long as you do not pronounce the verdict It is.
About This Quote
About Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Themes
- Life — Reflections on the meaning, challenges, and beauty of life
- Philosophy — Deep thoughts on existence, knowledge, and the nature of reality
- Truth — Meditations on honesty, authenticity, and the search for truth
- Wisdom — Timeless insights drawn from experience and reflection