One day early in July I was on Twitter, when I noticed that someone I follow had retweeted something from an account called @TSElibot (after T.S. Eliot, the famous poet, playwright and literary critic). I was unaware of there being anything similar for Ayn Rand, and so I registered the account @AynRandBot.
At first I just tweeted from the account sporadically, whenever I found a good quotation of 140 or fewer characters in my reading. I also drew from some extant online quotation resources, whenever I found a quotation that I particularly liked, and that would fit Twitter’s constraints.
Soon I realized that I would need to automate it for it to be of significant value (and for the account name to be authentic), and I found a tweet-scheduling service. I figured out how to schedule recurring tweets, but soon realized it would be best for the tweets to be delivered in a random order, until the database of quotations was exhausted, and then start again in a different order. So now I’ve figured out how to do that, too. There are currently over 400 tweets in my database; I add more whenever I get the chance. “The Bot,” as I call it, is nearing 1,900 followers from all over the world, many of whom retweet the quotations to their followers. Some also engage in discussions about the quotations, or even try to drag The Bot into debates about them!
If you would like to receive a steady stream of quotations from Ayn Rand in your Twitter feed, follow the Ayn Rand Bot. Retweets and mentions are greatly appreciated. There is also a Facebook page for The Bot. I will be sending the tweets to that page, as soon as Facebook enables that feature for pages. (Update: Facebook now offers this, and so you can get the Bot’s tweets on the Facebook page as well!.)
If you like Ayn Rand, you might enjoy my weekly podcast, “Don’t Let It Go…Unheard,” in which we discuss news, politics and culture from the perspective of her philosophy.
(Thanks to the Estate of Ayn Rand for giving me permission to operate the Ayn Rand Bot.)
If you’d like to donate to support the Bot, use any of the links on the top right-hand column of this page. Thank you for your support!
Don't Let It Go 
Amy, I find that the quotes from the writings of Ayn Rand that you have put on the @AynRandBot are like the casting of mental bytes of wisdom to active hungry minds. Thank you for initiating and actualizing such a great perceptive idea.
Hi Robert, it’s good I got that tweet from @TSElibot 🙂 As for the quotations, especially since they consist of 140 or fewer characters, their value in communicating philosophical ideas is limited. But they will, I hope, encourage more people to read Rand’s works, as well as remind those who already have read her works about various aspects of her philosophy. Many of Rand’s fans on Twitter seem to be enjoying it.
Amy, I think active minds will be encouraged to look further into the body of her work. I would be.
yeah…i just finished “philosophy:who needs it”…i thought that “altruism” was a greatest thing all these days…i used to treat egoistic ppl negatively….my brother was against altruism,mysticism etc… i just thought that i should give it a try…yeah….objectivism is the only concept that answers all quests in this world..i feel like i just got enlightened after knowing ojectivism…and i started atlas shrugged…i was unhappy that all these days,i was busy doing nothing by supporting altruism…i m 21 now…happy that i got few answers atleast now…now,i proudly say that…”i will follow objectivism and ethical-egoism…”
i actually started to read ayn rand just bcoz i became an atheist just a month ago…but now,i am very very happy that she gave answers to few of my quests and will be giving it all my life through her objectivism….
and thanx for ur tweets bot… 🙂
The ‘Bot takes off her mask! What a fun surprise! 🙂
Do you think Ron Paul admired Ayn Rand so much he named his son Rand?
No, I heard that “Rand” in his case is short for “Randall.”
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Keep up the strong defense of freedom and individual liberty. There is no more important battle right now!
Well I was inspired by @AynRandBot to get a copy of Atlas Shrugged. First heard of the book some years ago, always a bit curious. Gotta say, great reading so far!
That is great to hear, and I’m glad you are enjoying the book!
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For some time, the FaceBook posts have not appeared on my page — I checked that I still “Liked” the BOT page… any ideas? I searched back 2 weeks on my FaceBook and don’t find any of the posts….
The quotations should show up on your news feed — not on your timeline. But Facebook also has some algorithm that dictates what shows up in your news feed. If you have a lot of friends and like a lot of pages and never visit the Ayn Rand Bot page (or maybe “like” some of the posts), Facebook won’t put it in your feed.
Hope that helps!
Thanks…. so, the message is, be active, not passive… good one 🙂
Hi Amy
I was married for a few (5) years to a Russian and soon, to my pain, learned what it means to have two children with someone who was raised with two generations without having God be allowed in their lives. During that time I read much Ayn Rand. Have you read “We The Living.”? It’s a short read. Cut you must understand that Russians mock their communist government and fon’t have faith in it. (Thus the love for Vodka). This book ends sadly. When I asked my Russian wife at the time, she replied, “we don’t know about “happy endings”. That is an American thing. Providential.
I’ve been following @AynRandBot for about a year now, and her little tid bits of rational thought never fail to inspire me.
Thanks for your hard work Amy 🙂
Thanks for following!
Where did you find the database of quotations?
(Also, I had thought for a while that I was going to need to write myself an Ayn Rand Bot and am delighted that somebody beat me to it.)
I made the database myself. I need to get back to it and expand it. She was able to say so much in so few characters, so often. 🙂
Ayn Rand is not from this world. Somewhat idealistic, radical and above all part of a new stupid religion. Real life, nature, are different. The problems of the USA are huge. You have to change the system. That’s hard. You can’t change by talking, believing, going to war etc. You have to be intellectually logical and honest. If you prefer mafia-like structures, o.k. Nothing new.
Thomas, understand that you have come to my virtual salon asking to be given a platform for your view, and that your calling card is one that rudely attacks, without providing evidence, one of my strongly held values. You say Rand’s philosophy is an unrealistic, “new stupid religion,” one that is dishonest and bellicose. (You are also implying that I am illogical and dishonest and in favor of violence (“mafia-like structures”).)
Leave aside me, Rand, and her philosophy. What are the “problems of the USA”, as you see them? What, in your view, are the solutions?