Ayn Rand Lexicon misquotes ‘The Inexplicable Personal Alchemy’

There‧is‧a‧fundamental‧conviction‧which‧some‧people‧never‧acquire,‧some‧hold‧only‧in‧their‧youth,‧and‧a‧few‧hold‧to‧the‧end‧of‧their‧days—the‧conviction‧that‧*ideas‧matter*.‧In‧one’s‧youth‧that‧conviction‧is‧experienced‧as‧a‧self-evident‧absolute,‧and‧one‧is‧unable‧fully‧to‧believe‧that‧there‧are‧people‧who‧do‧not‧share‧it.. . . .‧That‧ideas‧matter‧means‧that‧knowledge‧matters,‧that‧truth‧matters,‧that‧one’s‧mind‧matters.‧And‧the‧radiance‧of‧that‧certainty,‧in‧the‧process‧of‧growing‧up,‧is‧the‧best‧aspect‧of‧youth.. . . .↵
↵
Its‧consequence‧is‧the‧inability‧to‧believe‧in‧the‧power‧or‧the‧triumph‧of‧evil.‧No‧matter‧what‧corruption‧one‧observes‧in‧one’s‧immediate‧background,‧one‧is‧unable‧to‧accept‧it‧as‧normal,‧permanent‧or‧*metaphysically*‧right.‧One‧feels:‧“This‧injustice‧(or‧terror‧or‧falsehood‧or‧frustration‧or‧pain‧or‧agony)‧is‧the‧exception‧in‧life,‧not‧the‧rule.”‧One‧feels‧certain‧that‧somewhere‧on‧earth—even‧if‧not‧anywhere‧in‧one’s‧surroundings‧or‧within‧one’s‧reach—a‧proper,‧human‧way‧of‧life‧is‧possible‧to‧human‧beings,‧and‧justice‧matters.

Explanation

There‧is‧a‧fundamental‧conviction‧which‧some‧people‧never‧acquire,‧some‧hold‧only‧in‧their‧youth,‧and‧a‧few‧hold‧to‧the‧end‧of‧their‧days—the‧conviction‧that‧*ideas‧matter*

.

‧

In‧one’s‧youth‧that‧conviction‧is‧experienced‧as‧a‧self-evident‧absolute,‧and‧one‧is‧unable‧fully‧to‧believe‧that‧there‧are‧people‧who‧do‧not‧share‧it.

. . . .

‧That‧ideas‧matter‧means‧that‧knowledge‧matters,‧that‧truth‧matters,‧that‧one’s‧mind‧matters

.

‧

And‧the‧radiance‧of‧that‧certainty,‧in‧the‧process‧of‧growing‧up,‧is‧the‧best‧aspect‧of‧youth.

. . . .

↵
↵
Its‧consequence‧is‧the‧inability‧to‧believe‧in‧the‧power‧or‧the‧triumph‧of‧evil.‧No‧matter‧what‧corruption‧one‧observes‧in‧one’s‧immediate‧background,‧one‧is‧unable‧to‧accept‧it‧as‧normal,‧permanent‧or‧*metaphysically*‧right.‧One‧feels:‧“This‧injustice‧(or‧terror‧or‧falsehood‧or‧frustration‧or‧pain‧or‧agony)‧is‧the‧exception‧in‧life,‧not‧the‧rule.”‧One‧feels‧certain‧that‧somewhere‧on‧earth—even‧if‧not‧anywhere‧in‧one’s‧surroundings‧or‧within‧one’s‧reach—a‧proper,‧human‧way‧of‧life‧is‧possible‧to‧human‧beings,‧and‧justice‧matters.

Notes

Using four periods in an ellipsis instead of three is unusual. Regardless, there is a difference between indicating an omission at the end of a sentence vs between sentences. Currently, the ellipses indicate that the sentences continue, but they do not – they both end with a period in the original. I’ve added a line break between the two paragraphs in the original (resulting in two line breaks rather than just one) to be charitable as this is arguably a question of style/rendering.