My measure for all subjects of science as of events is their impression on the soul. . . . There are times when the cawing of a crow, a weed, a snow-flake, a boy’s willow whistle, or a farmer planting in his field is more suggestive to the mind than the Yosemite gorge or the Vatican would be in another hour.
When the things of the world or the subjects of the intellect impress us, it is because we see through them and obtain a glimpse of the unknown country that lies behind all perceptions. That one thing impresses us now and another later is about the things, yes, but ever more it is about us. We see what we are ready for, what we have prepared ourselves to see. Those who have done little preparation, see little. Those who have done much, see much.
This page is the commentary on Page 41