Altruism and Cynicism
173 aphorisms · 15 comments
Aphorisms in This Category
121–140 (174)
tiny.ag/mtktl96r · submitted 1997
Whatever is not nailed down is mine. What I can pry loose is not nailed down.
tiny.ag/gvohc8br · submitted 1997
In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments -- there are consequences.
tiny.ag/poggndv0 · submitted 1997
Be polite to all, but intimate with few.
tiny.ag/tnwmsadk · submitted 1997
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
tiny.ag/rxmfom0a · submitted 1997
The relationship between truth and a newspaper is like the relationship between the color green and the number seven. Occasionally you will see the number seven written in green, but you learn not to expect this.
tiny.ag/fcmzdpy1 · submitted 1997
A book may be compared to the life of your neighbor. If it be good, it cannot last too long; if bad, you cannot get rid of it too early.
tiny.ag/iht7l65u · submitted 1997
Egotism is the anesthetic given by a kindly nature to relieve the pain of being a damned fool.
tiny.ag/764yzbuo · submitted 1997
I am not a vegetarian because I love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.
tiny.ag/fmchbiz9 · submitted 1997
The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
tiny.ag/ahfxksue · submitted 1997
You can't be truly rude until you understand good manners.
tiny.ag/gf6ry8xs · submitted 1997
Thinking good thoughts is not enough, doing good deeds is not enough, seeing others follow your good examples is enough.
tiny.ag/y9w5ki2b · submitted 1997
No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next.
tiny.ag/ijcqpq8f · submitted 1997
Do good by stealth.
tiny.ag/lhf5xdsj · submitted 1997
Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.
Ayn Rand, (commencement speech to Naval Academy), in Altruism and Cynicism
tiny.ag/ajwgbtvf · submitted 1997
If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
tiny.ag/zm6nq4mh · submitted 1997
We should forgive our enemies, but only after they've been taken out and shot.
tiny.ag/ywjorl1b · submitted 1997
When the government fears the people, we have liberty. When the people fear the government, we have tyranny.
tiny.ag/pl60skge · submitted 1997
Hope is nature's veil for hiding truth's nakedness.
tiny.ag/4eq50acu · submitted 1997
All lies are told with a straight face. It is truth that's said with a dismissive giggle.
tiny.ag/aoh5h6tb · submitted 1999
Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.
P. J. O'Rourke, All the Trouble in the World, in Altruism and Cynicism and Work and Recreation
121–140 (174)