--- title: "2 Ayn Rand Quotes By David Litt" description: "2 Ayn Rand quotes by David Litt. Plus more from David Litt and more Ayn Rand sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/david-litt-23158_chinese-food_if-i-had-lied-to-the-cia-perhaps-i-might_1087648.jpg" --- > [“If I had lied to the CIA, perhaps I might have passed a test. Instead of writing a book about the White House, I’d be poisoning a drug kingpin with a dart gun concealed inside a slightly larger dart gun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/if-i-had-lied-to-the-cia-perhaps-i-might-have-passed-a-test-instead/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/david-litt-23158_chinese-food_if-i-had-lied-to-the-cia-perhaps-i-might_1087648.jpg) > [“By New Year’s Eve I was mired in the kind of existential funk that leads people to find Jesus, or the Paleo diet, or Ayn Rand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/by-new-year-s-eve-i-was-mired-in-the-kind-of-existential-funk-that/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/david-litt-23158_existential_by-new-year-s-eve-i-was-mired-in-the-kin_3176683.jpg) ## Other authors on Ayn Rand ## More by David Litt > [“What I hadn’t realized was that, above all else, Favs was a prodigy. Speechwriters, even great ones, tend to lead either from the head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/what-i-hadn-t-realized-was-that-above-all-else-favs-was-a-prodigy/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“In 1960, a mere 5 percent of Americans said they would be upset if their child married someone from the opposite party. A half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/in-1960-a-mere-5-percent-of-americans-said-they-would-be-upset-if/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“But as the weeks rolled on, I realized it wasn’t a lack of glamour that was bothering me. Instead, I kept thinking back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/but-as-the-weeks-rolled-on-i-realized-it-wasn-t-a-lack-of-glamour/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“The cost of living the dream, I was taught, is the responsibility to expand it for others. It’s a more than fair price.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/the-cost-of-living-the-dream-i-was-taught-is-the-responsibility-to/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“This is the most common misconception about speechwriting. It came up especially often in the years before I started at the White House, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/this-is-the-most-common-misconception-about-speechwriting-it-came-up/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“In the real world, speechwriters are more like personal trainers than puppet masters. They can help you present the most attractive version of yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/in-the-real-world-speechwriters-are-more-like-personal-trainers-than/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“The firm’s fourth partner, Jeff Nussbaum, had carved out a niche writing jokes for public figures. It was he who taught me about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/the-firm-s-fourth-partner-jeff-nussbaum-had-carved-out-a-niche/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“Make sure no one goes Eastwood in Charlotte.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/make-sure-no-one-goes-eastwood-in-charlotte/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“I was lucky to receive it. Most rogue interns never get a second chance. And here it’s worth mentioning that I benefited from what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/i-was-lucky-to-receive-it-most-rogue-interns-never-get-a-second/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“If I had lied to the CIA, perhaps I might have passed a test. Instead of writing a book about the White House, I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/if-i-had-lied-to-the-cia-perhaps-i-might-have-passed-a-test-instead/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“Some of the leaders of the backlash said their name was an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already.” Maybe this was true at first. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/some-of-the-leaders-of-the-backlash-said-their-name-was-an-acronym/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“Some accomplishments, in other words, are impossible to undo. Millions of people found jobs thanks to Obama’s decisions. Soldiers who spent Christmas 2008 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/some-accomplishments-in-other-words-are-impossible-to-undo-millions/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“If you’re working with a writer, chances are you’re an expert. And if you’re an expert, chances are you’re boring. You can’t help it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/if-you-re-working-with-a-writer-chances-are-you-re-an-expert-and-if/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“Barack Obama’s election was a triumph of hope. But his presidency was a triumph of persistence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/barack-obama-s-election-was-a-triumph-of-hope-but-his-presidency-was/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“And then I saw him speak. Years later, after writing dozens upon dozens of presidential speeches, it would become impossible to listen to rhetoric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/and-then-i-saw-him-speak-years-later-after-writing-dozens-upon-dozens/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ayn-rand/david-litt/#itemlist", "name": "2 Ayn Rand Quotes By David Litt", "numberOfItems": 2, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If I had lied to the CIA, perhaps I might have passed a test. Instead of writing a book about the White House, I’d be poisoning a drug kingpin with a dart gun concealed inside a slightly larger dart gun, or making love to a breathy supermodel in the interest of national security. I’ll never know. I confessed to smoking pot two months before. The sunniness vanished from my interviewer’s voice. “Normally we like people who break the rules,” Skipper told me, “but we can’t consider anyone who’s used illegal substances in the past twelve months.” Just like that, my career as a terrorist hunter was over. I thought my yearning for higher purpose would vanish with my CIA dreams, the way a Styrofoam container follows last night’s Chinese food into the trash. To my surprise, it stuck around. In the weeks that followed, I pictured myself in all sorts of identities: hipster, world traveler, banker, white guy who plays blues guitar. But these personas were like jeans a half size too small. Trying them on gave me an uncomfortable gut feeling and put my flaws on full display. My search for replacement selves began in November. By New Year’s Eve I was mired in the kind of existential funk that leads people to find Jesus, or the Paleo diet, or Ayn Rand. Instead, on January 3, I found a candidate. I was on an airplane when I discovered him, preparing for our initial descent into JFK. This was during the early days of live in-flight television, and I was halfway between the Home Shopping Network and one of the lesser ESPNs when I stumbled across coverage of a campaign rally in Iowa. Apparently, a caucus had just finished. Speeches were about to begin. With nothing better to occupy my time, I confirmed that my seat belt was fully fastened. I made sure my tray table was locked. Then, with the arena shrunk to fit my tiny seatback screen, I watched a two-inch-tall guy declare victory. It’s not like I hadn’t heard about Barack Obama. I had heard his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. His presidential campaign had energized my more earnest friends. But I was far too mature to take them seriously. They supported someone with the middle name Hussein to be president of the United States. While they were at it, why not cast a ballot for the Tooth Fairy? 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