People turned to look at Howard Roark as he passed. Some remained staring after him with sudden resentment. They could give no reason for it: it was an instinct his presence awakened in most people. Howard Roark saw no one. For him, the streets were empty. He could have walked there naked without concern.
安蘭德文筆簡潔洗練，對Roark的描繪卻無比形象，不動聲色就能引起別人本能憎惡的自我該是多麽強大的自我。
也是在小說開始處， Roark因為與傳統截然對立的建築風格即將被學校開除之前與校長有這樣壹番對話：
“Do you mean to tell me that you’re thinking seriously of building that way, when and if you are an architect?”
“Yes.”
“My dear fellow, who will let you?”
“That’s not the point. The point is，who will stop me?”
所以劉瑜給她的書評用了這樣的標題，“妳比妳想象的更自由”。
也是在與校長的對話，校長問,“Have you thought of your potential clients?” Roark答道:
“I don’t intend to build in order to serve or help anyone. I don’t intend to build in order to have clients. I intend to have clients in order to build.”
這句話生動詮釋了Roark的價值觀，人生不是來服務別人，而是要追求理想實現自我價值的。記得某個下午在紐約坐地鐵，壹車廂人都昏昏欲睡，坐在我對面壹個穿著嘻哈風的黑人男青年正聚精會神的看壹本書。我好奇瞟了眼書脊，書名竟然是《源泉》。在美國，Roark已然成為很多青年的勵誌偶像。