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A quote from Ayn Rand

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I saw a quote from Ayn Rand that went something like the following; 

When a criminal can gain a value by brazenly breaking the law, and everyone can see it, and he gets away with it, civilization is finished.

I don't want to put that in quotes because I don't know exactly what she said, or where and when she said it.  Can anyone retrieve her exact quote and where I can find it in an interview.  Thanks

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Ii's quite possible she touched on this in discussing related subjects multiple times and in multiple contexts.  What I am reminded of are her statements about "compromise".

The one I have in mind is from the Virtue of Selfishness, "Doesn't Life Require Compromise".  Essentially she teaches that compromise although useful and essential in certain contexts does not properly apply to moral issues or things like individual rights.

http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/compromise.html

 

The third quote down includes a bit about compromise with a burglar

"There can be no compromise between a property owner and a burglar; offering the burglar a single teaspoon of one’s silverware would not be a compromise, but a total surrender—the recognition of his right to one’s property." 

 

If you have VOS I suggest you re-read that chapter.

Again, she may have touched on this issue elsewhere as well.

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9 hours ago, Jimbean said:

I saw a quote from Ayn Rand that went something like the following; 

When a criminal can gain a value by brazenly breaking the law, and everyone can see it, and he gets away with it, civilization is finished.

I don't want to put that in quotes because I don't know exactly what she said, or where and when she said it.  Can anyone retrieve her exact quote and where I can find it in an interview.  Thanks

Also, in the context of what you said, I tend to think that Rand would not be focused so much on "the law" (and non obedience) but that a criminal gained value by initiating force, violating someone else's rights, namely property rights, and that everyone (or the government) let him get away with it.  In other words, what you remember is probably more about "rights" and "morality" than it is about observing or breaking "laws" (which can be passed by improper governments - think Nazi Germany - and which laws can themselves be invalid violations of individual rights).

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On 8/17/2020 at 9:47 PM, Jimbean said:

When a criminal can gain a value by brazenly breaking the law, and everyone can see it, and he gets away with it, civilization is finished.

 

I have a feeling it was this:

When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed.

https://www.cato.org/blog/ayn-rand-front-page-ecuadors-major-newspaper

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On 8/18/2020 at 6:50 PM, Ninth Doctor said:

I have a feeling it was this:

When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed.

https://www.cato.org/blog/ayn-rand-front-page-ecuadors-major-newspaper

That's exactly it!  Thank you

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