This stirring passage from Rand’s magnum opus encapsulates her philosophy of individualism and personal determination. It serves as both a warning against compromising one’s highest potential and an affirmation that genuine achievement is within reach for those who refuse to surrender their vision.
Whether or not one agrees with all of Rand’s Objectivist philosophy, this particular excerpt resonates as a powerful call to perseverance and authenticity in pursuing one’s deepest aspirations.
The story of Blake Mycoskie and the “One for One” model that changed social entrepreneurship
Blake Mycoskie had already founded and sold four successful businesses before his 30th birthday—a remarkable achievement by any standard. But it was a chance trip to Argentina in 2006 that would transform his approach to business forever.
While traveling through rural communities, Mycoskie witnessed children without shoes facing not just discomfort, but serious health and education barriers. After observing a local shoe drive, he had a revolutionary insight: rather than creating a charity that would constantly need fundraising, what if he built a sustainable business model where every purchase guaranteed help for someone in need?
This simple idea became TOMS Shoes—a company that pioneered the “One for One” business model. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS would give a pair to a child in need. The model proved that businesses could be both profitable and philanthropic by design, not just as an afterthought.
This quote perfectly encapsulates Netflix’s famous corporate culture, which rejects excessive rules in favor of hiring exceptional people and giving them extraordinary freedom. While most companies respond to growth by adding processes and controls, Netflix deliberately does the opposite.
The company’s groundbreaking “Culture Deck” — a 125-slide presentation that has been viewed more than 20 million times — outlines this philosophy in detail. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg once called it “perhaps the most important document ever to come out of Silicon Valley.”
Hastings believes that as companies grow, they tend to become increasingly complex and restrictive, ultimately stifling innovation. Netflix’s alternative approach champions:
This approach has helped Netflix transform from a DVD-by-mail service to one of the world’s leading entertainment companies, demonstrating that sometimes the best process is having less process.