"we’re riddled with pointless talk, insane quantities of words and images.... What a relief to have nothing to say, the right to say nothing, because only then is there a chance of framing the rare, and even rarer, thing that might be worth saying."
-Gilles Deleuze
"It is a time of false leaders, false nations and false gods. Men will come to convince you there is no evil, nor is there good. They will make one the other and destroy both. They will use the word "peace" to mean war. They will use the word "freedom" to mean slavery. They will blind you to what you know to be true until you no longer trust yourself.
You must not listen.
Comfort is not safety. Comfort is a thing to fear. All that challenges you is not your enemy. The firm hand strikes, but it can also hold you at the cliff. The soft hand comforts, but you will slip through its grasp. Civilization will teach that comfort is the only goal. Comfort of body. Comfort of mind. This is the path of defeat. This is the banishment of your own power. Those who wrap you in comfort seek to destroy you. They will praise you when you fear the world. They will hunt you when you hunt your fear. Be naked in the coldest day of winter so that you can love the warmth of the sun. Lay your body on stone so you can love the embrace of hay. Let adversity teach you. The hands of the forger must be firm and relentless, for the most important moment of the sword is the moment of tempering. This is tamashii o ireru. This is when the soul is put into the blade. What you choose will forge you.
And no sword can be forged twice."
-Bryan Hill, Fallen Angels #3