“The silence of earth seemed to melt into the silence of the heavens. The mystery of earth was one with the mystery of the stars ...”

“Filled with rapture, his soul yearned for freedom, space, vastness. Over him the heavenly dome, full of quiet, shining stars, hung boundlessly. From the zenith to the horizon the still-dim Milky Way stretched its double strand. Night, fresh and quiet, almost unstirring, enveloped the earth. The white towers and golden domes of the church gleamed in the sapphire sky. The luxuriant autumn asleep till morning. The silence of the earth seemed to merge with the silence of the heavens and the mystery of the earth touched the mystery of the stars.”

“Cities fell. Earth opened. Planets tilted. Stars plummeted. And the awful silence.”

“Study is the child of silence and mystery.”

“Imagine you are the Earth and he is the Sun, that silence is tangible, and the stars are the souls of your previous lives.”

“The sounds of silence are a dim recollection now, like mystery, privacy and paying attention to one thing — or one person — at a time.”