I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.

For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (50th Anniversary Edition) (ed. Penguin, 1963) - ISBN: 9781101137680