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AYN RAND , from an introduction to "The Fountainhead"

"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 nonexistent. 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."



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what is the key to any success ?

It is a fascinating theme . I have been reading recently about Bill Bartmann . A businessman . A billionaire who went a long way right from the guts , from the bottom of street gangs , being homeless to becoming the 25th wealthiest person in America . He certainly knows the key .
When I look at high achievers I see clearly that it is just one step from being crazy , poor , homeless to achieving everything one desires . both sides are just the opposite sides of the same coin . what makes the difference ....?
it is FOCUS . and something more , that precedes focus
and that something makes the whole life become joy or misery

it is - " I am "

Bill Bartmann

Today I finished a good part of my work on Bill Bartmann . I like what he presents by his actions . I am sure that he knows what it takes to achieve everything. And what it means. I feel excited . Every time when I encounter a human being that really exists and is conscious of his unique individuality -it is so refreshing , like saying hello high up in the mountains to a man encountered after hours of solitude .


goodnight