The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
This modern classic explores the idea that man's ego is the source of human progress. Follow the story of young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity is unyielding, as he navigates love and societal condemnation. With a philosophy that continues to challenge readers today, this groundbreaking novel is a must-read for anyone seeking thought-provoking literature.
Publish Date
1996-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
1996-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
first published in 1943
Goodreads Rating
3.88
ISBN
9780452286757
Categories
Recommendations
12
Recommendations
This book was incredibly motivating to me. It encouraged me to think as an individual, take risks to reach my goals, and responsibility for my successes and failures. I loved it. – source
The protagonist’s audacious self-confidence and refusal to compromise his artistic vision—which was to say, himself—was a fascinating thing to survey. – source
Sets these bold, stark characters—you could even call them Christ figures—and you think to yourself, 'I want to be that.' – source
2022-02-25T05:13:22.000Z
4. Fountainhead
Read it at 21
I recall being obsessed with the book, reading it in my college library for hours. It is this book that instilled in me the idea of "resist the obvious" through the eyes of Howard Roark. – sourceI absolutely loved the book. Sure, the characters are extreme and one-dimensional - but to me, that was the point. – source
2012-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
It’s one of my favorite books. It’s less of a political statement. It’s just personally one of my favorite books. I’m a fan of architecture. – source2005-09-12T00:00:00.000Z
I think for me one of the core things that is very applicable to my life today is the virtue of independence - is the vision, you know, if you know the idea of Howard Roark who is the architect in The Fountainhead, who has a vision for what he wants to accomplish and, there's some time in the book when he is frustrated in his career because people don't want to build the type of buildings he wants to build. And he's given a choice, a difficult choice, to compromise his integrity or to essentially go out of business. And he has to go and take a job working in a quarry. And for me that model has a lot of resonance. When I think about what I'm doing and the way I'm doing it is more important to me than any amount of money or anything like that because it's my artistic work. – sourceAs a kid, I wanted to be an architect. That's before I read The Fountainhead. I mean it is hard to find a profession that pays worse than architecture. – source
I got sucked into reading this over-the-top manifesto of self-reliance during finals of my first year of college. By the end of the book, I decided to drop out of school. I never returned. It was the best decision of my life. – source
Defiant in its pursuit of one’s artistic goals, meaning you don’t compromise; you stay truthful to what you’re exploring. – source