“Men must endureTheir going hence, even as their coming hither.Ripeness is all.”

“Reality wasn’t a syllogism like “Socrates is a man—all men are mortal—hence Socrates is mortal,” but more like “Helga is a human being—all telephone booths have been vandalized—hence Helga must die.” Or like: “Hitler is a human being—all Jews are animals—hence all Jews must die.”

“You must accept it as it is, and hence accept all consequences. A wall is indeed a wall.”

“Even the Sun knows that it cannot be on your head all day...and hence 'Shadows' are BORN.”

“Hence it comes that all armed prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed prophets have been destroyed.”

“ To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing. To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing. To come to enjoy what you have not, you must go by a way in which you enjoy not. To come to the possession you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not. To come to what you are not, you must go by a way in which you are not.   John of the Cross”