Reason Is Not Automatic
July 5th, 2015 at 12:00PM"[Reason] is a faculty that man has to exercise by choice. Thinking is not an automatic function. In any hour and issue of his life, man is free to think or to evade that effort."
"Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone."
--Ayn Rand, The Virtue Of Selfishness, Ayn Rand, Journals Of Ayn Rand
Words alone -- no matter how logical, rational or persuasive -- are powerless against a mind that chooses not to think. Because I argue a lot with others, these are two of my favorite quotes. They help remind me I can't think for someone else. There are no clever phrasings or magical words that can change a mind that rejects reason.