Excerpt from Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Damn, I love it when I read something insightful in literature. 

Here’s the context:  The main character, Siddhartha, has just forsaken his life as an Ascetic and a Brahman (a holy man).  He has changed his thinking from trying to rid himself of everything in the world, which is what traditional holy teachings require of shramana (monks who live in the woods depriving themselves of everything), to trying to learn from and enjoy everything in the world.

He meets a famous courtesan named Kamala who begins to teach Siddhartha the ways of the real world, such as making money and sex.  She makes arrangements for Siddhartha to meet and apprentice under the richest merchant in the city.

“You have had luck,” she [Kamala] said in parting, “one door after another has opened for you.  How does this happen?  Do you have a magic charm?”

Siddhartha replied: “Yesterday I told you the story of my understanding how to think, wait, and fast, but you found this all of no use.  But these things are of great use, Kamala, as you will see.  You will see that the silly shramanas in the forest teach and know many fine things that you do not.  The day before yesterday I was a scraggly beggar, yesterday I already kissed Kamala, and soon I will be a merchant and have money for all the things you hold in esteem.”

“Yes, now that is true,” she admitted.  “But how would things be for you without me?  Where would you be if Kamala had not helped you?”

“Dear Kamala,” Siddhartha said, straightening himself to his full height, “when I came to you in your grove, I took the first step.  It was my purpose to learn love from the loveliest of women.  From the very moment that I grasped my purpose, I also knew I would carry it out.  I knew you would help me, from your first gaze at the entrance of the grove I already knew it.”

“But if I had not wanted to?”

“You did want to.  Look, Kamala: When you throw a stone into water, it hurries the quickest way down to the bottom of the water.  So it is when Siddhartha has a goal, a purpose.  Siddhartha does nothing, he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he passes through the things of the world as the stone passes through the water, without doing anything, without touching anything; he is pulled, he lets himself fall.  His goal pulls him toward it, for he admits nothing into his soul that would resist the goal.  This is what Siddhartha learned among the shramanas.  This is what fools call magic and what they think of as the work of demons.  Nothing is done by demons, there are no demons.  Anyone can work magic, anyone can reach his goals, if he can think, if he can wait, if he can fast.”