Advice to would-be freedom activists

"Above all, do not join the wrong ideological groups or movements, in order to 'do something.' By 'ideological' (in this context), I mean groups or movements proclaiming some vaguely generalised, undefined (and, usually, contradictory) political goals. (E.g., [a] 'conservative party' that subordinates reason to faith, and substitutes theocracy for capitalism; or ... 'libertarian' hippies who subordinate reason to whims, and substitute anarchism for capitalism.) To join such groups means to reverse the philosophical hierarchy and to sell out fundamental principles for the sake of some superficial political action which is bound to fail. It means that you help the defeat of your ideas and the victory of your enemies. (For a discussion of the reasons, see 'The Anatomy of Compromise' in my book Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.)"

~ Ayn Rand, from her essay 'What Can One Do?'