*image by Ben Harubin

The more you concern yourself with Secondary affairs,
the further you remain from Primary ones.
...Simple, no? But hell, you know that already.
It's the balance sheet, Bruno, the friggin' balance sheet!

(Oh, I hear tell that one guy's threatened to have tattooed in his palm,
"All Primary matters are inside of me -- all Secondary ones external to me."
Simple, no? But we've established that already yet. Now on to something
more mystically important, like what's for dinner?)

One man pressed The Matter to the extent that he'd allow no song bird outside his house –
those he liked, he personally swallowed.

Conversation Number So-And-So, In A Continuing String Of Such:
"Do you know what you're doing?"
[Silence.]
"I said do you know what you're doing?"
[Still, silence.]
"I'm asking you if you know what you're doing. Why don't you answer me?"
"I'm thinking about it."
"Then never mind -- you don't!"

A father said to a son:
The way I see it is that all men could awaken, were it not for their love of habit.
And I must tell you that 'love of habit' is not a valid description of what I refer to,
that takes place in man and holds him hostage. But if you look at it for yourself,
you'll agree that there is no truly satisfying way to verbally detail what is happening
in men in this regard.
It proves to have two separate aspects. Knowing that you're captive (and of what)
is one aspect. After that, having the strength and wiles to stay out of its reach is another
and as it turns out, the most important other.

The seekers of one expedition had a saying: "Just finally finding the map is
itself astoundingly rewarding, but then to actually 'get to where you want to go'
and remain there -- well, that's another adventure entirely."

(These particular explorers kept this saying to themselves, after they discovered
that no one else wanted to hear it. For while they found it encouraging,
others found it just the opposite.)