I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught all the world would be wise since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning understanding patience love openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.
I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone let him be where he will.
