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To John Nicholas, a fan [Letter 537]

Item Reference Code: 039_07A_017_001

Date(s) of creation

August 21, 1965

Recipient

John Nicholas

Transcript

August 21, 1965

Mr. John Nicholas
3962 Beechwood Drive
Concord, California 94521

Dear Mr. Nicholas:

Thank you for your letter. I am pleased that you liked my books and that you found my philosophy helpful.

I hope that you will continue to develop your knowledge and your interest in ideas. I can sympathize with the fact that you feel fear when you look at the present state of the world, but I hope that this is not your chronic emotion. It is too early to feel fear of the future when one is under 30, and too late after that. What I mean is that one must never allow fear to become one’s permanent sense of life. The important thing is to prepare yourself intellectually to deal with whatever circumstances you may encounter, which requires that you define your values fully, clearly and rationally—and never betray them.

Cordially,

 

Ayn Rand

AR:dk