"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things
>
 which escape those who dream only by night. 

In their gray visions they obtain glimpses of 

eternity, and thrill, in waking, to find that they 

have been upon the verge of the great secret. 

In snatches, they learn something of the 

wisdom which  is of good, and more of the 

mere knowledge which is of evil."

― Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Allan Poe: 

Complete Tales and Poems

As a rule, the more bizarre a thing is the less 

mysterious it proves to be.

 It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which 

are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is 

the most difficult to identify." 

― Arthur Conan Doyle, 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes


"Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything 

else is opinion."-― Democritus

"...he asked, "Where are you today, right now?"
Eagerly, I started talking about myself. However, I noticed 

that I was still being sidetracked from getting answers to my 

questions. Still, I told him about my distant and recent past 

and about my inexplicable depressions. He listened patiently 

and intently, as if he had all the time in the world, until 

I finished several hours later.


"Very well," he said. "But you still have not answered 

my question about where you are."
"Yes I did, remember? I told you how I got to where 

I am today: by hard work."

"Where are you?"

"What do you mean, where am I?"

"Where Are you?" he repeated softly.

"I'm here."

"Where is here?"

"In this office, in this gas station!" 

I was getting impatient with this game.
"Where is this gas station?"

"In Berkeley?"

"Where is Berkeley?"

"In California?"

"Where is California?"

"In the United States?"

"On a landmass, one of the continents in the 

Western Hemisphere. Socrates, I..."

"Where are the continents?

I sighed. "On the earth. Are we done yet?"
"Where is the earth?"
"In the solar system, third planet from the sun. 

The sun is a small star in the Milky Way galaxy, all right?"
"Where is the Milky Way?"
"Oh, brother, " I sighed impatiently, rolling my eyes. 

"In the universe." I sat back and crossed my arms with finality.

"And where," Socrates smiled, "is the universe?"

"The universe is well, there are theories about 

how it's shaped..."

"That's not what I asked. Where is it?"

"I don't know - how can I answer that?"

"That is the point. You cannot answer it, 

and you never will. There is no knowing about it. 

You are ignorant of where the universe is, and thus, 

where you are. In fact, you have no knowledge of 

where anything is or of What anything is or 

how is came to be. Life is a mystery.

"My ignorance is based on this understanding. 

Your understanding is based on ignorance. 

This is why I am a humorous fool, and you 

are a serious jackass."

― Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior: 

A Book That Changes Lives