If this is vise I want no virtue. ... I know what…
““If this is vise I want no virtue. ... I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. That and nothing else.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker declares happiness as an intrinsic end, not a means, and defines freedom as independence from others’ demands.
In simple terms: Happiness is its own purpose; freedom means being free from others.
Key Takeaway
Seek self-defined purpose, reject being a tool for others.
Themes
individualism
autonomy
purpose
freedom
Mood
defiant
assertive
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- personal goal setting
- creative work
- relationship boundaries
- political activism
Key Concepts
Objectivism
existentialism
self-actualization
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to be free from all others?
- Can happiness be truly self‑contained?
A Different Perspective
Freedom can become isolation if taken to extremes.