Paul Ryan in The Atlantic

On Principles & Values: I credit Ayn Rand for getting me involved in public service

Rep. Paul Ryan [gave] a 2005 speech at The Atlas Society, where he extolled author and philosopher Ayn Rand, particularly her magnum opus Atlas Shrugged. What liberals always seize on is his statement, "I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are, and what my beliefs are."

In that same 2005 speech: "The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand," he said. "If we're going to actually win this we need to make sure that we're solid on premises, that our principles are well-defended, and if want to go and articulately defend these principles and what they mean to our society, what they mean for the trends that we set internationally, we have to go back to Ayn Rand," Rep. Ryan said.

"I think a lot of people would observe that we are right now living in an Ayn Rand novel, metaphorically speaking," Rep. Ryan observed in 2009.

Source: Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic, "Atlas Shrugged" Aug 13, 2012

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