--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since there is no such entity as 'the…" description: "\"“Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, any claimed or implied conflict of 'the public inte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg" --- # Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the… ![“Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, any claimed or implied conflict of 'the public interest' with private intersts means that the interests of some men are to be sacrificed to the interest and wishes of others.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg) > ““Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, any claimed or implied conflict of 'the public interest' with private intersts means that the interests of some men are to be sacrificed to the interest and wishes of others.”” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The notion of a monolithic 'public' is a myth; conflicts labeled as public interest actually prioritize some individuals' desires over others. **In simple terms:** 'Public' is just many individuals, not a single entity. Key Takeaway Recognize and protect individual rights over vague collective claims. Themes individualism politics ethics rights conflict Mood critical analytical skeptical Type philosophical political ethical When to use this quote - policy making - legal debates - business decisions - community planning - activism Key Concepts libertarianism political philosophy collectivism public interest individual rights Questions to Reflect On - Who truly benefits from decisions labeled as 'public interest'? - How can we balance individual rights with collective needs? A Different Perspective The concept may oversimplify complex societal interdependencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conflict Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict-public-1442665/) [Implied Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/implied-conflict-1442666/) [Individuals Claimed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuals-claimed-1442668/) [Means Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-interests-1442669/) [Public Merely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-merely-1442667/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Religion is no longer considered the source of serious truth claims that could potentially conflict with public agendas. 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To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? 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Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, any claimed or implied conflict of 'the public interest' with private intersts means that the interests of some men are to be sacrificed to the interest and wishes of others.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "War" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/ayn-rand-59_war_since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-pub_2542103.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, any…” — Ayn Rand", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ayn Rand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Since there is no such entity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```