Thursday, January 8, 2009

True Then...True Now...!!

This, in my opinion, is one of the all time greatest movie speeches of them all ...!

The reason I wanted to play this today is because the points made in this speech are even more related to what's going on in the world today, than they were during the time frame of this movie. In case you can't hear the video, I'm also putting the words of the speech on because I think they are that important! Watch the video, read the words, and see if you don't agree!

The speech was from a book written in 1943 by Ayn Rand titled "The Fountainhead". The clip is from the movie of the same name, released in 1949.




Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light, but he left them a gift they had not conceived, and he lifted darkness off the earth.

Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision. The great creators -- the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors -- stood alone against the men of their time. Every new thought was opposed; every new invention was denounced. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered, and they paid. But they won.

No creator was prompted by a desire to please his brothers. His brothers hated the gift he offered.

His truth was his only motive.

His work was his only goal.

His work -- not those who used it.

His creation -- not the benefits others derived from it -- the creation which gave form to his truth.

He held his truth above all things and against all men. He went ahead whether others agreed with him or not, with his integrity as his only banner. He served nothing and no one. He lived for himself. And only by living for himself was he able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement.


Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. The man who thinks must think and act on his own. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be subordinated to the needs, opinions, or wishes of others. It is not an object of sacrifice.

The creator stands on his own judgment; the parasite follows the opinions of others.

The creator thinks; the parasite copies.

The creator produces; the parasite loots.

The creator's concern is the conquest of nature; the parasite's concern is the conquest of men.

The creator requires independence. He neither serves nor rules. He deals with men by free exchange and voluntary choice.

The parasite seeks power. He wants to bind all men together in common action and common slavery. He claims that man is only a tool for the use of others -- that he must think as they think, act as they act, and live in selfless, joyless servitude to any need but his own.

Look at history: Everything we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind. Every horror and destruction came from attempts to force men into a herd of brainless, soulless robots -- without personal rights, without person ambition, without will, hope, or dignity.

It is an ancient conflict. It has another name: "The individual against the collective."

Our country, the noblest country in the history of men, was based on the principle of individualism, the principle of man's "inalienable rights." It was a country where a man was free to seek his own happiness, to gain and produce, not to give up and renounce; to prosper, not to starve; to achieve, not to plunder; to hold as his highest possession a sense of his personal value, and as his highest virtue his self-respect.

Look at the results. That is what the collectivists are now asking you to destroy, as much of the earth has been destroyed.

I am an architect. I know what is to come by the principle on which it is built. We are approaching a world in which I cannot permit myself to live. My ideas are my property. They were taken from me by force, by breach of contract. No appeal was left to me.

It was believed that my work belonged to others, to do with as they pleased. They had a claim upon me without my consent -- that it was my duty to serve them without choice or reward.

Now you know why I dynamited Courtland. I designed Courtland. I made it possible. I destroyed it. I agreed to design it for the purpose of it seeing built as I wished. That was the price I set for my work. I was not paid. My building was disfigured at the whim of others who took all the benefits of my work and gave me nothing in return.

I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life, nor to any part of my energy, nor to any achievement of mine -- no matter who makes the claim!

It had to be said: The world is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing. I came here to be heard in the name of every man of independence still left in the world. I wanted to state my terms. I do not care to work or live on any others.

My terms are: A man's RIGHT to exist for his own sake.


Now if those words don't address the concerns facing us today, I don't know what does! I think you would agree! Now, what do you say to a fresh cup of coffee, my friend?

27 comments:

Cygnus MacLlyr said...

WOW! Hey Uncle Hermit, that is one POWERFUL-- and dead-on-- speech! So true, too; from minds and 'mouths' such as Einstein, Twain, Shakespeare... from so many have we heard these ideals. What scares and bothers me is the vast majority who may have heard (the HERD!)but not LISTENED.

"listen, and learn..."

Excellent post, my friend. Strikes many a nerve, and at the core, eh?

how to get sis, baby sis, and nanny to Listen, to observe... does hurt. Deeply...

Thanks for the reflective material, Hermit. Mayhap I'll take a cup o' that magical bean now...

Certainly feel i need it!

Cygnus

FarmerGeek said...

Danged ol' architects...

Go Roark! I love that book. (Since you didn't mention the title of the book LOL)

"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand -- speech given by Howard Roark, main character. The book is even better than the movie! Also, check out "Atlas Shrugged" by the same author.

These books are super powerful books, and while you may not agree with everything in them (as Rand did not believe in any God) the themes of personal motivation, personal power, and personal responsibility are quite evident and useful!

Also, if you read "Atlas Shrugged" you can almost match real life politicians with the characters in the book... scary!

Great post Hermit!!

FarmerGeek said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Good thinking, good post, Bubba. Don't quite know what the nephew has in his mind, but..... I await the future with bated breath and a full pantry. Also considering a conceal and carry class.....

HermitJim said...

Hey Cygnus...thanks for stopping by this morning. It is a powerful speech, for sure.

Thanks for stopping by!

HermitJim said...

Hey FG...glad you could drop by this morning. Amazing how many past authors wrote characters so in line with the thinking of today's survivalists, or preppers, or homesteaders...whatever our title of the day is.


You have a good day, my friend.

HermitJim said...

Hey Sis...glad to see ya. Glad to hear about the C&C clss. I think it's a good idea myself, especially here in the big city!

You probably have one of the best stocked pantries around...and let's hope the only thing it's ever needed for is to make some more holiday or get together stuff!

Hey, thanks for coming by today!

Noki said...

Wow. That makes me want to watch the entire movie.

Hugs,
Ashley

HermitJim said...

Hey Ashley...thanks for dropping by! At least read the book, even if you don't see the movie!

So, are you getting used to being unemployed?

Catman said...

I think it's time I re-read Ayn Rand's works. I haven't read them since high school.

Thanks, Jim.

HermitJim said...

Hey Catman...thanks for the visit.

I watch the old movies about once a year, and re-read my favorite books at least that often. Ayn Rand's work, although often rejected in the early days, seems to fall in line with a lot of what's going on today.

Lydia said...

Good morning Jim,

Very powerful indeed! So much in there is so true, and yes, as much today as yesterday.

I haven't read the book, but have seen the movie which was very good.
Thanks for posting.

Have a great day my friend!
lydia

HermitJim said...

Hey Lydia...good day, my friend! Glad you could drop by. When you get the chance, you should read the book.

Hope the weather there is being kind to you...

See ya later

scoutinlife said...

That's a book I must read thanks for sharing Hermit!

HermitJim said...

Hey Scout...sure am glad you could drop by today. I think you would like the author...her ideas weren't very popular with most folks and she had trouble getting published at first.

I think that a lot ( not every one) of her thoughts were the same as ours are. "Be your self and follow your own path."

Appreciate the visit again...

Mamma Bear said...

What an excellent reminder of a great book and movie!

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamma Bear...glad you enjoyed the post and I'm sure glad to have you visit today.

Hard to beat the classics, huh?

Mayberry said...

Yeah, that's a good speech. My favorite is still "A Japanese submarine slammed two torpedos into our side, Chief. We'd just delivered the Bomb, the Hiroshima bomb........"

HermitJim said...

Hey Mayberry...sure do thank you for stopping by. Sometimes we can get a lot of inspiration from old classics...

Guess folks always had problems with big bro and now it must be our turn!

Good to see ya again, my man!

Ken said...

...hey Jim,hope ya got some brewing this late at night...sure could use a pot...

...good post,looks like we're "creators"...all i ever wanted was to be left alone,i can handle my own "parasites"...

...tick,tock,tick,tock...

HermitJim said...

Hey Ken...the old Hermit always has a pot of coffee going!

As for the other, I'm with ya, buddy...I'm with ya!

I hope that ticking is from a clock and not something that's gonna go bang!

Thanks for stopping by, my friend!

Ken said...

...lol Jim...don't worry,been practicing...now lets see,Front:Toward Enemy...safety off...bang on that sucker three times...lol

...just keep an eye out for trip wires,i'll be dammed if i can remember where i put those things...

HermitJim said...

Hey Ken...? I think you better come over here instead ! I have an aversion to ticking things and trip wires. I'm thinking maybe some deadfalls, or better yet...how about a BIG dog that is trained to Meow like a cat instead of barking?

I wonder if a hot coffee pot on the stove could be considered a weapon...bet it would be effective at close quarters!

Stephanie in AR said...

Hey Hermit! Found something that is just too cool & wanted to share. Remember those "Little House" books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder? She had a daughter who was Rose Wilder Lane. She & Ayn Rand & Isabel Paterson are considered the founding mothers of the Libertarian movement. How cool is that!

HermitJim said...

Wow! That' pretty amazing! It is always a wonder to me how there is so much info to find on the net!

Thanks for the info...

SJacobus said...

I love her books. I hadn't seen this movie and just found out that our library has it now I'll have to watch it. I know their coming out with the movie Atlas Shrugged soon too. The Wall Street Journal just did a write up about this too.

HermitJim said...

I've seen this movie several times, and enjoyed it. I've always been a Gary Cooper fan.

Didn't know they were going to make a film of "Atlas Shrugged" but I'll be sure and watch for it.

Thanks for the heads up!