Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to

Ayn Rand, with her firebrand voice of individualism, declared: “Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice.” In these words she unveils both the glory and the burden of human freedom. Each man is a builder, shaping his world not merely by his hands, but by his beliefs, his values, his choices. Yet though he may deny his freedom, he cannot escape it. To live is to choose, and even refusal is itself a choice that shapes destiny.

The heart of her teaching is that man is both creator and captive—creator of his own image in the world, and captive to the law of choice. He may shape nobly or selfishly, he may build cathedrals of justice or prisons of corruption, but he cannot escape the hammer and chisel in his hand. For every thought becomes a brick, every act a stone, until the world around him reflects the self within. Thus, man’s greatest power and greatest responsibility are one: the unending necessity to choose.

History burns with proof. Alexander the Great, driven by vision and ambition, built an empire that bore the mark of his own image—swift, bold, and brilliant. Yet his choices also brought ruin, for in chasing glory without restraint he left behind no lasting foundation. His world perished with him, a monument to the double-edged truth that man builds in his own likeness, for good or ill.

By contrast, Mahatma Gandhi built his world upon the image of peace and justice. His choice was not conquest, but nonviolent resistance. Though he had no armies, his choices carved a path for millions, and the world he built still echoes with his spirit. Here Rand’s truth shines: he could not escape the necessity of choice, but by choosing rightly, he built a world not only for himself, but for generations.

O children of tomorrow, engrave this lesson in your hearts: you are builders, every one of you. You cannot flee the necessity of choice; each day, each breath, adds a stone to the world you are shaping. Choose with care, for the image you cast within will rise around you as the world without. Rand’s words thunder across the ages: embrace your power to choose, and let your choices be worthy of the greatness you were born to build.