Thinking is a delicate, difficult process, which man cannot perform unless
knowledge is his goal, logic is his method, and the judgment of his mind is
his guiding absolute. Thought requires selfishness, the fundamental
selfishness of a rational faculty that places nothing above the integrity of
its own function.
A man cannot think if he places something—anything—above his perception of
reality. He cannot follow the evidence unswervingly or uphold his conclusions
intransigently, while regarding compliance with other men as his moral
imperative, self-abasement as his highest virtue, and sacrifice as his primary
duty. He cannot use his brain while surrendering his sovereignty over it,
i.e., while accepting his neighbors as its owner and term-setter.