From the book:
“Call me anything but John Galt. That is my name, but it is also the name of my father and grandfather. I am not like them and the world they created is not the one I desire. The III after my name does not sufficiently set me apart.”
"Everyone knows about the existence of cults and their disturbing ability to steal minds. Otherwise normal people give away everything to wait for the second coming of Jesus or aliens from outer space. Midas and my grandfather would scoff at those irrational beliefs, but the society that they founded had all the earmarks of a cult. The first structure that they erected was a giant gold-plated dollar sign atop a granite column. They also invented an oath that members were required to recite at frequent intervals: I SWEAR BY MY LIFE AND LOVE OF IT THAT I WILL NEVER LIVE FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER MAN, NOR ASK ANOTHER MAN TO LIVE FOR MINE.
The word “give” was banned from their vocabulary. Every human transaction was paid for with the gold and silver coins minted on site. Obviously, this was only possible thanks to the vast wealth of Midas Mulligan, who provided a bank account for each new member based on how much had been “stolen” from them in the form of taxes in the outside world. While the members of other cults waited for Jesus or aliens from outer space, the Galtians waited for society to collapse while working to build a microcosm of the perfect society for themselves."
