[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fF47pOJprGiZX_Vwwoo4xrf_Zb8Cb5Zu9q9dIwAdLF3U":3,"$fBKX8SucN-z1VKieOosU92_LqueuJ-M0vdzzWt1dwkkg":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},201815,"Don Watkins","D",8,null,"don-watkins",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":65},[14,22,29,35,41,47,53,59],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},2984851,"When an inner-city child is stuck in a school that doesn’t educate him, that is a tragedy. But the problem isn’t that other children get a better education – it’s that the government has created an educational system that often doesn’t educate, and that makes it virtually impossible for anyone but the affluent to seek out alternatives. Of.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":28},2984843,"The fact is that life is not a race: success in life isn’t determined by how well you do compared to other people. It’s determined by whether you are able to achieve whatever hopes and dreams you set for yourself: to build a great company, to write a great book, to excel as a computer programmer, to be a great teacher or a great plumber. None of that requires besting others; the favorable circumstances they enjoy can’t hold you back. Exactly the reverse is true.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is attributed to Don Watkins, a prominent figure known for his work on Ayn Rand's philosophy and his own advocacy for individual rights and entrepreneurship. Given the context of his life's work, it is likely that this quote was written during a period when he was engaged in promoting self-reliance and challenging conventional wisdom about success.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nAt first glance, Watkins' statement may seem like a straightforward affirmation of personal achievement. However, upon closer examination, there lies a more profound message: the distinction between external validation and internal drive. Watkins is not merely dismissing the idea of competition; he's highlighting how societal comparisons can be a hindrance to true fulfillment.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, one must focus on setting and working towards personal goals without measuring oneself against others. By doing so, an individual can cultivate an inner sense of purpose and motivation that is not dependent on external recognition or competition.",{"id":30,"quote_text":31,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":32,"source":33,"quote_tag":34,"commentary":9},2984831,"There is an inequality problem involved in cronyism, however: cronyism is an example of political inequality. It allows a privileged group of people to rob and shackle others using the power of the government.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},2984825,"Today, more and more of the world is following our lead, with the result that billions around the globe have been liberated from poverty in recent decades: since 1981, the fraction of the earth’s population living on less than a dollar a day has dropped from over 40 percent to only 14 percent.23 This is an incredible achievement. Yet most of the people who wring their hands over economic inequality have been inexcusably silent about this feat.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},2984814,"Wealth is not distributed by society: it is produced and traded by the people who create it. To distribute it, society would first have to seize it from the people who created it. This.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},2984805,"The true source of economic security is self-reliance and economic freedom – Social Security is immoral because it subverts both. It sabotages the virtues that enable us to survive, prosper, and enjoy our lives – and the social system that lets us exercise those virtues.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":9},2984796,"Our life is our responsibility, and if we want something from other people, justice requires that we earn it through voluntary exchange. The bare fact that we want or need something from other people doesn’t give us a right to it. Other people are not our servants, and their job isn’t to spend their days and hours working for our benefit rather than their own.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":9},2984786,"The true source of economic security is self-reliance and economic freedom – Social Security is immoral because it subverts both.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":66,"totalPages":66,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":67},1,10]