All the hails belong to today’s birthday boy, pop culture icon of evil and Satanist Anton LaVey. The eccentric Church of Satan founder constructed his organization based on principles of individualism, egoism, and atheism — a few traits he shares in common with abyss-ful philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and creator of Objectivism, the evil-obsessed (and just plain evil, to many) Ayn Rand. In fact, LaVey once said: “My religion is just Ayn Rand’s philosophy with ceremony and ritual added.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell the three wearers of black apart when judging by their words — which is why we decided to have a little fun with the deeply cynical trio (we can already hear Rand protesting that term from beyond the grave) with a guessing game. Who said it: Anton LaVey, Nietzsche, or Ayn Rand?
“Cynicism is the only form in which base souls approach honesty.”
Nietzsche (Highlight or double-click to view)
“You cannot love everyone; it is ridiculous to think you can. If you love everyone and everything you lose your natural powers of selection and wind up being a pretty poor judge of character and quality.”
Anton LaVey (Highlight or double-click to view)
“The worst evil that you can do, psychologically, is to laugh at yourself. That means spitting in your own face.”
Ayn Rand (Highlight or double-click to view)
“I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.”
Ayn Rand (Highlight or double-click to view)
“Religionists have kept their followers in line by suppressing their egos. By making their followers feel inferior, the awesomeness of their god is insured.”
Anton LaVey (Highlight or double-click to view)
“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
Nietzsche (Highlight or double-click to view)
“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”
Nietzsche (Highlight or double-click to view)
“In the temple of his spirit, each man is alone.”
Ayn Rand (Highlight or double-click to view)
“It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful.”
Anton LaVey (Highlight or double-click to view)
“In heaven, all the interesting people are missing.”
Nietzsche (Highlight or double-click to view)
“The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.”
Nietzsche (Highlight or double-click to view)
“An attempt to achieve the good by force is like an attempt to provide a man with a picture gallery at the price of cutting out his eyes.”
Ayn Rand (Highlight or double-click to view)
“It has been said, ‘the truth will make men free.’ The truth alone has never made anyone free. It is only doubt which will bring mental emancipation.”
Anton LaVey (Highlight or double-click to view)
“The men who attempt to survive, not by means of reason, but by means of force, are attempting to survive by the method of animals.”
Ayn Rand (Highlight or double-click to view)
“There is a beast in man that should be exercised, not exorcised.”
Anton LaVey (Highlight or double-click to view)