The strongest passions are those ones which alloy themselves with the intellect.

Truth reveals itself through argument. Whether it is the single mind that debates with itself, or many, the journey towards a deeper understanding requires and proceeds through opposition.

Words are limited in their ability to express a state of mind. One says, “I am happy.” There are many different shades of happiness, which one is meant? And does such a simple state of mind– merely and solely “happy”– even exist? Feelings are contextual and relative and mixed– they are always a cocktail and never straight. Other arts– visual, acoustic, for example– are more expressive in this regard. Shades and combinations of colors, forms, and tones offer a better vocabulary for the language of the soul. Music uses chords– notes mixed together. Written language in comparison is a very simple instrument, capable, at best, only of melody and not harmony. “Happy”– that is a single note. Perhaps there are nuances in how that word is spoken, or with some words, the weight of multiple meanings. By and large, though, written and spoken language has not yet achieved the complexity and expressiveness of, say, even a violin.