The Fountainhead Philosophical Views: Individualism Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph.)

Quote #4

"If I found a job, a project, an idea or a person I wanted—I'd have to depend on the whole world. Everything has strings leading to everything else. We're all so tied together." (1.12.70)

Dominique doesn't often speak in symbols or metaphors, but she uses the image of a net to express her distaste for the crowd.

Quote #5

Catherine had said it, he was selfish; everybody was selfish; it was not a pretty thing, to be selfish, but he was not alone in it [....] (1.15.49)

Keating's internal monologues provide some of the most interesting stylistic experiments in the book. Here we get the repetition of "selfish" and a series of choppy phrases to indicate Keating's inner turmoil.

Quote #6

"Do you have to be quite so fanatical and selfless about it?"
"What?" Roark asked incredulously. (1.15.170-1)

In both this book and her later novel, Atlas Shrugged, Rand liked to play around with language and experiment with opposites. Her heroes often take "bad" words and make them "good." Here a man accuses Roark of being "selfless," when Roark sees himself as being selfish. Selfishness is actually good. Selflessness is bad. Confused yet?