Shamrock Shamrock A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name "shamrock" comes from Irish , which is the diminutive of the Irish word for plant () and means simply "little plant" or "young plant". "Shamrock" usually refers to either the species (lesser clover, Irish: ) or (white clover, Irish: ). However, other three-leaved plants—such as , , and —are sometimes called shamrocks. The shamrock was traditionally used for its medicinal properties and was a popular motif
What Is to Be Done? (novel) Is to Be Done?" is one of the sources of inspiration for Rand's thought. For example, the book's main character Lopuhov says "I am not a man to make sacrifices. And indeed there are no such things. One acts in the way that one finds most pleasant." Vladimir Nabokov's final novel in Russian, "The Gift", ridicules "What is to Be Done?" in its fourth chapter. What Is to Be Done? (novel) What Is To Be Done? (; also translated as What Shall We Do? and literally translated as "What To Do?") is an 1863 novel written by the Russian philosopher,