Jay Lamm

“Do not make the mistake of the ignorant who think that an individualist is a man who says: “I’ll do as I please at everybody else’s expense.” An individualist is a man who recognizes the inalienable individual rights of man—his own and those of others. An individualist is a man who says: “I will not run anyone’s life—nor let anyone run mine. I will not rule nor be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave. I will not sacrifice myself to anyone—nor sacrifice anyone to myself.” A collectivist is a man who says: “Let’s get together, boys—and then anything goes!”
― Ayn Rand, The Ayn Rand Column

“You never want to create characters that sound like a mouthpiece for your ideas. Good writers express their moral vision slowly and subtly, primarily through the story structure and the way the hero deals with a particular situation. Your”
― John Truby, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

“There’s a consensus catching on between the different walks of life:  whether bare-foot or wing-tipped, the shop doors close behind them; whether sundress or pantsuit, the chairs are pulling back; whether uniformed or tank-topped, the generic filing system plays out.  Only-a-second becomes only-a-year; only-a-year becomes a five-year-plan; the five-year-plan turns into one-in-the-chamber. ”
― Anonymous