Howard Roark or Peter Keating?

Sounds like a great question; although the novel suggests otherwise. For people who havent read "The FountainHead" , I recommend that you read it. Howard Roark is the quintessential man who is "as man should be" while Peter Keating is the supposed "the man who couldn't be, and doesn't know it". Roark is ideal; he falls to the edge of wretchedness before regenerating from the ashes - ideology is his life. Keating is pragmatic, wants to be liked, and is a victim of his own desires.
He embodies the result of a soulless man devoted to altruistic means. Rather Intriguing!

Business and the Godfather

surreal but nice - is it? or AOL and the french kiss girl?

KATHLEEN: My business is in trouble. My mother would have something wise to say.

JOE: I'm a brilliant businessman. It's what I do best. What's your business?

KATHLEEN: No specifics, remember?

JOE: Minus specifics, it's hard to help. Except to say, go to the mattresses.

KATHLEEN: What?

JOE: It's from The Godfather. It means you have to go to war.

KATHLEEN: The Godfather? What is it with men and The Godfather?

JOE: The Godfather is the I Ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." What day of the week is it? "Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday." And the answer to your question is "Go to the mattresses."

You're at war. "It's not personal, it's business. It's not personal it's business." Recite that to yourself every time you feel you're losing your nerve. I know you worry about being brave, this is your chance. Fight. Fight to the death.

Poignant!

I never did talk to him a lot. I never felt the need to. We were fundamentally different people. He respected the system and strictly adhered to its rules. I believed that the system was a byproduct of people and was always likely to have cracks. I was joyed to identify those cracks. He was a man of principles set by our timeless ancestors while I believed in what I thought were principles. His unnerving trust in the system surprised me, baffled me too at times. Yet, I never realized I had so much respect for him as a child. The respect only grew as I my exposure to the system increased. To have never appreciated the man I revered for such a long time only makes it worse. He is not with us anymore after his tryst with destiny, as the system calls it. After a little more than two years since I last spoke to him, his fire for appreciating things for what they were still burns inside me. I can only hope that one day, I will probably see life as vividly and clearly as he did.