Motionist

I've always seen Rand's characters as being relatively forgiving - they don't really hold grudges. Dagny immediately forgives Cheryl for everything she had previously said to her. Her heroes judge people in the moment - their associates are judged by whatever virtues they may posses at that particular time, and not by their past. A little off topic: Unfortunately, Rand doesn't even touch on the idea of personal growth in her novels - all of her characters are righteous from beginning to end - from childhood until death. Odd for an artist who is such a strong advocate of man's free will and the ability to improve one's life.

To succeed in a particular instance is to achieve your goal, whatever that may be. To be a "success" means that you have both achieved your goals and set the right ones. By "right ones" I mean the ones that will lead you to obtaining what you truly value for your own happiness. Now, the way I see it, the joy does not come after becoming a success, rather, it comes from moving towards your goals step by step. ie. succeeding. So I hold that man should never become "a success" (though he should certainly strive to succeed) until the very end of his life. For to be a success implies that you have achieved all your goals and value nothing you do not already have - in my eyes, this is by definition a purposeless existence. And to clarify, one should still enjoy the values they have obtained (ie. wealth and knowledge), else they would be worthless to begin with; but the primary focus must always be forward, no matter how high you have gone.