“It is impossible to love others more than yourself.” ~Ayn Rand

“There is nothing more attractive than humbleness and kindness. But you should not seek kindness which advertises itself.” ~Leo Tolstoy

“A man  who is not humble cannot accept praise gracefully…. He passes it on to God so clumsily that he trips himself up and draws attention to himself by his own awkwardness…. The humble man receives praise the way a clean window takes the light of the sun. The truer and more intense the light is, the less you see of the glass.” ~Thomas Merton

In other words, true humility must itself be humble. It is selflessness. Humility, in its truest form, is an expression of basic intelligence. It is a complete relationship with the environment, a centerless relationship with the environment. It is the truth of egolessness in action. Before communication can be pure or genuine—not distorted by expectation and fear—the belief in an solid-independent self must be questioned…

The fundamental problem with Ayn Rand’s work, a work that has contributed in a very significant way to conservative thought here in America, seems to be that this fundamental belief has gone on unquestioned. Since the ego-centric belief system has gone unquestioned, her argument, in the end, proves to be nothing more than a sophisticated defense mechanism created by the ego in order to further it’s fear based agenda.

In the video below, at about 4 minutes, Ayn Rand explains her point of view…

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