“Man has been called a rational being, but rationality is...

“Man has been called a rational being, but rationality is a matter of choice — and the alternative his nature offers him is: rational being or suicidal animal. Man has to be man — by choice; he has to hold his life as a value — by choice; he has to learn to sustain it — by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice his virtues — by choice.

A code of values accepted by choice is a code of morality.”

— Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged)