“Quand le calme du silence monte en vous et que le feu sacré pétille seul, loin du tintamarre des routes, et quand la paix, qui est LA TRANQUILLITÉ DE l'ORDRE, établit l'ordre des pensées, des sentiments, des recherches, vous êtes en ultime disposition d'apprendre, vous pouvez assembler, puis créer.”La vie intellectuelle
Ch II - I _ simplifier
Traduction anglaise: "When silence takes possession of you; when far from the racket of the human highway the sacred fire flames up in the stillness; when peace, which is the tranquillity of order, puts order in your thoughts, feelings, and investigations, you are in the supreme disposition for learning; you can bring your materials together; you can create; you are definitely at your working point; it is not the moment to dwell on wretched trifles, to half live while time runs by, and to sell heaven for nothings."
“Les meilleurs moments dans notre vie ne sont pas ceux où l'on est passif, réceptif et relaxé… Les meilleurs moments sont généralement ceux durant lesquels notre corps ou notre esprit est poussé volontairement jusqu'à ses limites pour accomplir quelque chose de difficile mais de valeur.”
En anglais : "The best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. For a child, it could be placing with trembling fingers the last block on a tower she has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer, it could be trying to beat his own record; for a violinist, mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person there are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expand ourselves."