riskyhomo/ayn_rand · Datasets at Hugging Face

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shaped by whims--not God’s whims, but man’s or "society’s." These neo-mystics
are not man-worshipers; they are merely the secularizers of as profound a hatred
for man as that of their avowedly mystic predecessors.
A cruder variant of the same hatred is represented by those concrete-bound,
"statistical" mentalities who--unable to grasp the meaning of man’s
volition--declare that man cannot be an object of worship, since they have never
encountered any specimens of humanity who deserved it.
The man-worshipers, in my sense of the term, are those who see man’s highest
potential and strive to actualize it. The man-haters are those who regard man as
a helpless, depraved, contemptible creature--and struggle never to let him
discover otherwise. It is important here to remember that the only direct,
introspective knowledge of man anyone possesses is of himself.
More specifically, the essential division between these two camps is: those
dedicated to the exaltation of man’s self-esteem and the sacredness of his
happiness on earth--and those determined not to allow either to become possible.
The majority of mankind spend their lives and psychological energy in the
middle, swinging between these two, struggling not to allow the issue to be
named. This does not change the nature of the issue.
Perhaps the best way to communicate The Fountainhead’s sense of life is by means
of the quotation which had stood at the head of my manuscript, but which I
removed from the final, published book. With this opportunity to explain it, I
am glad to bring it back.
I removed it, because of my profound disagreement with the philosophy of its
author, Friedrich Nietzsche. Philosophically, Nietzsche is a mystic and an
irrationalist. His metaphysics consists of a somewhat "Byronic" and mystically
"malevolent" universe; his epistemology subordinates reason to "will," or
feeling or instinct or blood or innate virtues of character. But, as a poet, he
projects at times (not consistently) a magnificent feeling for man’s greatness,
expressed in emotional, not intellectual terms.
This is especially true of the quotation I had chosen. I could not endorse its
literal meaning: it proclaims an indefensible tenet--psychological determinism.
But if one takes it as a poetic projection of an emotional experience (and if,
intellectually, one substitutes the concept of an acquired "basic premise" for
the concept of an innate "fundamental certainty"), then that quotation
communicates the inner state of an exalted self-esteem--and sums up the
emotional consequences for which The Fountainhead provides the rational,
philosophical base:
"It is not the works, but the belief which is here decisive and determines the
order of rank--to employ once more an old religious formula with a new and
deeper meaning,--it is some fundamental certainty which a noble soul has about
itself, something which is not to be sought, is not to be found, and perhaps,
also, is not to be lost.--The noble soul has reverence for itself.--" (Friedrich
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.)
This view of man has rarely been expressed in human history. Today, it is
virtually non-existent. Yet this is the view with which--in various degrees of
longing, wistfulness, passion and agonized confusion--the best of mankind’s
youth start out in life. It is not even a view, for most of them, but a foggy,
groping, undefined sense made of raw pain and incommunicable happiness. It is a
5

sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one’s life is important, that
great achievements are within one’s capacity, and that great things lie ahead.
It is not in the nature of man--nor of any living entity--to start out by giving
up, by spitting in one’s own face and damning existence; that requires a process
of corruption whose rapidity differs from man to man. Some give up at the first
touch of pressure; some sell out; some run down by imperceptible degrees and
lose their fire, never knowing when or how they lost it. Then all of these
vanish in the vast swamp of their elders who tell them persistently that
maturity consists of abandoning one’s mind; security, of abandoning one’s
values; practicality, of losing self-esteem. Yet a few hold on and move on,
knowing that that fire is not to be betrayed, learning how to give it shape,
purpose and reality. But whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men
seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.
There are very few guideposts to find. The Fountainhead is one of them.
This is one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead’s lasting appeal: it is
a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man’s glory, showing how much
is possible.
It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the
full reality of man’s proper stature--and that the rest will betray it. It is
those few that move the world and give life its meaning--and it is those few
that I have always sought to address. The rest are no concern of mine; it is not
me or The Fountainhead that they will betray: it is their own souls.
AYN RAND New York, May 1968

CONTENTS
PART ONE
Peter Keating
PART TWO
Ellsworth M. Toohey
PART THREE
Gail Wynand
PART FOUR
Howard Roark

I offer my profound gratitude to the great profession of architecture and its
heroes who have given us some of the highest expressions of man’s genius, yet
have remained unknown, undiscovered by the majority of men. And to the
architects who gave me their generous assistance in the technical matters of
this book.
No person or event in this story is intended as a reference to any real person
or event. The titles of the newspaper columns were invented and used by me in
6

the first draft of this novel five years ago. They were not taken from and have
no reference to any actual newspaper columns or features.
--AYN RAND March 10, 1943

Part One: PETER KEATING

1.

shaped by whims--not God’s whims, but man’s or "society’s." These neo-mystics

are not man-worshipers; they are merely the secularizers of as profound a hatred

for man as that of their avowedly mystic predecessors.

A cruder variant of the same hatred is represented by those concrete-bound,

"statistical" mentalities who--unable to grasp the meaning of man’s

volition--declare that man cannot be an object of worship, since they have never

encountered any specimens of humanity who deserved it.

The man-worshipers, in my sense of the term, are those who see man’s highest

potential and strive to actualize it. The man-haters are those who regard man as

a helpless, depraved, contemptible creature--and struggle never to let him

discover otherwise. It is important here to remember that the only direct,

introspective knowledge of man anyone possesses is of himself.

More specifically, the essential division between these two camps is: those

dedicated to the exaltation of man’s self-esteem and the sacredness of his

happiness on earth--and those determined not to allow either to become possible.

The majority of mankind spend their lives and psychological energy in the

middle, swinging between these two, struggling not to allow the issue to be

named. This does not change the nature of the issue.

Perhaps the best way to communicate The Fountainhead’s sense of life is by means

of the quotation which had stood at the head of my manuscript, but which I

removed from the final, published book. With this opportunity to explain it, I

am glad to bring it back.

I removed it, because of my profound disagreement with the philosophy of its

author, Friedrich Nietzsche. Philosophically, Nietzsche is a mystic and an

irrationalist. His metaphysics consists of a somewhat "Byronic" and mystically

"malevolent" universe; his epistemology subordinates reason to "will," or

feeling or instinct or blood or innate virtues of character. But, as a poet, he

projects at times (not consistently) a magnificent feeling for man’s greatness,

expressed in emotional, not intellectual terms.

This is especially true of the quotation I had chosen. I could not endorse its

literal meaning: it proclaims an indefensible tenet--psychological determinism.

But if one takes it as a poetic projection of an emotional experience (and if,

intellectually, one substitutes the concept of an acquired "basic premise" for

the concept of an innate "fundamental certainty"), then that quotation

communicates the inner state of an exalted self-esteem--and sums up the

emotional consequences for which The Fountainhead provides the rational,

philosophical base:

"It is not the works, but the belief which is here decisive and determines the

order of rank--to employ once more an old religious formula with a new and

deeper meaning,--it is some fundamental certainty which a noble soul has about

itself, something which is not to be sought, is not to be found, and perhaps,

also, is not to be lost.--The noble soul has reverence for itself.--" (Friedrich

Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.)

This view of man has rarely been expressed in human history. Today, it is

virtually non-existent. Yet this is the view with which--in various degrees of

longing, wistfulness, passion and agonized confusion--the best of mankind’s

youth start out in life. It is not even a view, for most of them, but a foggy,

groping, undefined sense made of raw pain and incommunicable happiness. It is a

5

sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one’s life is important, that

great achievements are within one’s capacity, and that great things lie ahead.

It is not in the nature of man--nor of any living entity--to start out by giving

up, by spitting in one’s own face and damning existence; that requires a process

of corruption whose rapidity differs from man to man. Some give up at the first

touch of pressure; some sell out; some run down by imperceptible degrees and

lose their fire, never knowing when or how they lost it. Then all of these

vanish in the vast swamp of their elders who tell them persistently that

maturity consists of abandoning one’s mind; security, of abandoning one’s

values; practicality, of losing self-esteem. Yet a few hold on and move on,

knowing that that fire is not to be betrayed, learning how to give it shape,

purpose and reality. But whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men

seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.

There are very few guideposts to find. The Fountainhead is one of them.

This is one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead’s lasting appeal: it is

a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man’s glory, showing how much

is possible.

It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the

full reality of man’s proper stature--and that the rest will betray it. It is

those few that move the world and give life its meaning--and it is those few

that I have always sought to address. The rest are no concern of mine; it is not

me or The Fountainhead that they will betray: it is their own souls.

AYN RAND New York, May 1968

CONTENTS

PART ONE

Peter Keating

PART TWO

Ellsworth M. Toohey

PART THREE

Gail Wynand

PART FOUR

Howard Roark

I offer my profound gratitude to the great profession of architecture and its

heroes who have given us some of the highest expressions of man’s genius, yet

have remained unknown, undiscovered by the majority of men. And to the

architects who gave me their generous assistance in the technical matters of

this book.

No person or event in this story is intended as a reference to any real person

or event. The titles of the newspaper columns were invented and used by me in

6

the first draft of this novel five years ago. They were not taken from and have

no reference to any actual newspaper columns or features.

--AYN RAND March 10, 1943

Part One: PETER KEATING

1.