“There is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you.” The Prince

They’re afraid because they have never accepted themselves. A community consisting exclusively of people afraid of the unknown in themselves! They all feel that the rules they live by are no longer valid, that they’re following outdated commandments; neither their religions nor their morality, nothing is suited to what we need. For a century and more, Europe has done nothing but study and build factories! They know exactly how many grams of powder it takes to kill someone, but they don’t know how to pray to God, they don’t even know how to be contented for an hour at a time. Demian

Rather, Nature’s intentions for man are inscribed in individuals, in you and me. Demian

Wherever there is a man who exercises authority, there is a man who resists authority. De Profundis