Derek Magill

“Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all. We disapprove of state education. Then the socialists say that we are opposed to any education. We object to a state religion. Then the socialists say that we want no religion at all. We object to a state-enforced equality. Then they say that we are against equality. And so on, and so on. It is as if the socialists were to accuse us of not wanting persons to eat because we do not want the state to raise grain.”
― Frederic Bastiat, The Law

“When a man of self-esteem chooses his values and sets his goals, when he projects the long range purposes that will unify and guide his actions — it is like a bridge thrown to the future, across which his life will pass, a bridge supported by the conviction that his mind is competent to think, to judge, to value, and that he is worthy of enjoying values.

This sense of control over reality is not the result of special skills, ability, or knowledge. It reflects one's fundamental relationship to reality, one's conviction of fundamental efficacy and worth. It reflects the certainty that, in essence and in principle, one is right for reality.”
― Nathaniel Branden, The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism

“I could die for you. But I couldn't, and wouldn't, live for you.”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

“Become a good hunter for happiness bargains, where the value you are getting from the purchase, over time, and over different areas of your life, far outweighs to price.”
― Michael Ellsberg, The Last Safe Investment: Spending Now to Increase Your True Wealth Forever