Ayn Rand's philosophy is in some ways similar to that of Epicurus. Ayn Rand said that personal happiness should be one's moral purpose in life, while Epicurus said that seeking pleasure should be one's purpose.
Rand's belief that one should "exist for his own sake... neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself," goes along with Epicurus' conception of justice as an agreement not to harm others, and not to be harmed by others.
It has been said that Epicurus was not an atheist because he believed that there were gods. Personally I would still call him an atheist because he did not believe the gods had any control over us, while the common conception of a god is as a creator or overseer of the universe. Ayn Rand was an atheist.
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