Anthem: Parts 10-12

by Ayn Rand
In this dystopian novella, a young man rebels against his conformist society. Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the novella: Parts 1–2, Parts 3–9, Parts 10–12
15 words 1427 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid the great secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
  2. endeavor
    attempt by employing effort
    What is the secret our heart has understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it?
  3. sanction
    official permission or approval
    I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being.
  4. edict
    a formal or authoritative proclamation
    It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.
  5. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
    And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.
  6. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.
  7. depraved
    deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper
    It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.
  8. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
    It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages.
  9. creed
    any system of principles or beliefs
    But I am done with this creed of corruption.
  10. deliverance
    recovery or preservation from loss or danger
    I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind.
  11. martyr
    one who suffers for the sake of principle
    The Saint of the pyre had seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the heir of all the saints and all the martyrs who came before him and who died for the same cause, for the same word, no matter what name they gave to their cause and their truth.
  12. shackle
    restrain with or as if with fetters
    Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest ones among them.
  13. yoke
    an oppressive power
    I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of their brothers.
  14. impotent
    lacking power or ability
    And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will be impotent against me.
  15. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
    And the day will come when I shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake.
Created on Tue Jul 27 10:12:12 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Jul 11 17:03:36 EDT 2025)

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