Two Ayn Rand quotes relevant today

Ayn Rand was a 20th century novelist and philosopher, whose Objectivist philosophy stressed an objective reality over supernatural beliefs, reason, self-interest, and capitalism. Books by Ayn Rand include The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. This is only one of her many great quotes… Two relevant quotes by Ayn Rand: “When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion — when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing — when you see money flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors — when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you — when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice — you may know that your society is doomed.” Ayn Rand We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force. Ayn Rand h/t BH