A brief look inside the writer's mind, technique, style, philosophy - the method to his madness. As ever when we read Henry Miller, he gives us nothing short of brutal honesty - about himself and the existential world. Though there are countless gems to be mined in Miller's work, here are a few I culled from this short treatise:

"Like every man, I am my own worst enemy. Unlike most men, however, I also know that I am my own savior."

"We clutter the earth with our inventions, never dreaming that possibly they are unnecessary—or disadvantageous. We devise astounding means of communication, but do we communicate with one another? We move our bodies to and fro at incredible speeds, but do we really leave the spot we started from? Mentally, morally, spiritually, we are fettered. What have we achieved in mowing down mountain ranges, harnessing the energy of mighty rivers, or moving whole populations about like chess pieces, if we ourselves remain the same restless, miserable, frustrated creatures we were before? To call such activity progress is utter delusion." ( )