--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You'll get everything society can give a…" description: "\"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. You'll accept such g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/ayn-rand-59_accepting_you-ll-get-everything-society-can-give-a_107330.jpg" --- # You'll get everything society can give a man. You'll keep… ![“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. You'll accept such gratitude as the tenants might feel. And I - I'll take what nobody can give a man, except himself. I will have built Cortlandt. - Howard Roark” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/ayn-rand-59_accepting_you-ll-get-everything-society-can-give-a_107330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/ayn-rand-59_accepting_you-ll-get-everything-society-can-give-a_107330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfa/ayn-rand-59_accepting_you-ll-get-everything-society-can-give-a_107330.jpg) > “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. You'll accept such gratitude as the tenants might feel. And I - I'll take what nobody can give a man, except himself. I will have built Cortlandt. - Howard Roark” [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. One can acquire wealth, fame, and gratitude from society, but the only thing truly unattainable from others is self‑determination and personal achievement. **In simple terms:** Society gives everything except self‑reliance. Key Takeaway True fulfillment comes from personal agency. Themes individualism self‑reliance achievement philosophy Mood determined proud Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - entrepreneurial ventures - personal goal setting - creative projects Key Concepts existential autonomy value of labor Practical Applications - cultivate self‑discipline - focus on intrinsic goals Questions to Reflect On - When does personal ambition become isolation? - How can one balance self‑determination with collaborative effort? A Different Perspective Excessive self‑reliance can ignore the importance of community support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Built Cortlandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-cortlandt-1283508/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Grants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grants/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Gratitude Tenants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude-tenants-1283507/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Honor Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor-want-1283509/) [Howard roark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/howard-roark/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Society Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-man-1047590/) [Tenants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenants/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-grant-1283510/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“Compassion is a wonderful thing. It's what one feels when one looks at a squashed caterpillar. An elevating experience. One can let oneself go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/compassion-is-a-wonderful-thing-it-s-what-one-feels-when-one-looks-at/) [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/) > [The great creators-the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors-stood alone against the men of their time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-great-creators-the-thinkers-the-artists-the-scientists-the-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“A building has integrity, just as a man and just as seldom! It must be true to its own idea, have its own form,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-building-has-integrity-just-as-a-man-and-just-as-seldom-it-must-be/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life. Nor to any part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-came-here-to-say-that-i-do-not-recognize-anyone-s-right-to-one/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“It doesn't say much. Only "Howard Roark, Architect". But it's like those mottoes men carved over the entrance of a castle and died for.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-doesn-t-say-much-only-howard-roark-architect-but-it-s-like-those/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“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 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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“Have you always liked being Howard Roark?” Roark smiled. The smile was amused, astonished, involuntarily contemptuous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-always-liked-being-howard-roark-roark-smiled-the-smile-was/) [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 Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) [Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. You'll accept such gratitude as the tenants might feel. And I - I'll take what nobody can give a man, except himself. 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