--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great creators-the thinkers, the…" description: "\"The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of their time.\" — Ayn Rand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg" --- # The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the… ![“The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of their time.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg) > “The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of their time.” [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. Visionary creators stand isolated, confronting prevailing norms and opposition in their era. **In simple terms:** Creators stand alone against their time. Key Takeaway Support independent thinkers. Themes individualism innovation courage Mood inspirational defiant Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - artistic pursuits - scientific research Key Concepts Existentialism creative solitude Questions to Reflect On - What costs does solitude bring? - How to foster supportive communities? A Different Perspective Isolation can be psychologically taxing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Creators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creators/) [Howard roark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/howard-roark/) [Inventor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventor/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The great creators - the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors - stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [You were not born to be a second-hander." Howard Roark to Gail Wynand in "The Fountainhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-were-not-born-to-be-a-second-hander-howard-roark-to-gail-wynand/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Peter Keating: "Do you always have to have a purpose? Do you always have to be so damn serious? Can't you ever do things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/peter-keating-do-you-always-have-to-have-a-purpose-do-you-always-have/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“How did you know what's been killing me? Slowly, for years, driving me to hate people when I don't want to hate... Have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/how-did-you-know-what-s-been-killing-me-slowly-for-years-driving-me/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [You must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-must-be-the-kind-of-man-who-can-get-things-done-but-to-get-things/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I am a man who does not exist for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-am-a-man-who-does-not-exist-for-others/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. Their goals differed, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/throughout-the-centuries-there-were-men-who-took-first-steps-down-new-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [ I think everything I do has Howard Roark \[hero of The Fountainhead\] in it, you know, as much as anything. The person I write… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-think-everything-i-do-has-howard-roark-hero-of-the-fountainhead-in/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [“HOWARD ROARK LAUGHED. He stood naked at the edge of a cliff. The lake lay far below him. A frozen explosion of granite burst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/howard-roark-laughed-he-stood-naked-at-the-edge-of-a-cliff-the-lake/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“I hate incompetence. I think it’s probably the only thing I do hate. But it didn’t make me want to rule people. Nor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-hate-incompetence-i-think-it-s-probably-the-only-thing-i-do-hate/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“What in hell are you really made of, Howard? After all, it's only a building. It's not the combination of holy sacrament, Indian torture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/what-in-hell-are-you-really-made-of-howard-after-all-it-s-only-a/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [But I don't think of you. - Howard Roark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/but-i-don-t-think-of-you-howard-roark/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Thousands of years ago the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burnt at the stake he'd taught his brothers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/thousands-of-years-ago-the-first-man-discovered-how-to-make-fire-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [You'll get everything society can give a man. You'll keep all the money. You'll take any fame or honor anyone might want to grant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-ll-get-everything-society-can-give-a-man-you-ll-keep-all-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“The crowd had stared at him and given up angrily, finding no satisfaction. He did not look crushed and he did not look defiant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-crowd-had-stared-at-him-and-given-up-angrily-finding-no/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. 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? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of their time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/371/ayn-rand-59_art_the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-arti_2115454.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of…” — 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": "The great creators-the thinkers, the artists,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the-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 } } ] } ```