There have been few novels that I've contemplated over as much as I have this one. Not only does it ask what the meaning of life is, it provides an answer... if you're one of the minds that can understand it. 
 If she were a real person, Dagny Taggert would be my hero. The person I'd shy away from, yet admire. I'd love her as much as humanly possible. Because her persistence never failed in the midst of a crumbling society, even when those she loved & admired told her to give up. That doesn't even explain it properly. It's so much more than that. 
 It makes you look at America and where you stand within it. It makes you think of your own morals, to figure out what's right and worthy. It forces you to think about what you're living for, what the purpose is. Where does your happiness come from? Is it genuine? And, most importantly, is your life your own? 
 You think you're alone in your mindset of the world, and then you read this. Not only has someone been able to put it into words, but it's been praised for generations. And you realize there are more out there like yourself than you first believed.