An humble knowledge of thyself is a surer way to God than a deep search after learning.

Knowing a great deal and knowing yourself are different achievements, and the first can be used to avoid the second. Study is safer because it points outward and produces something to show. Honest self-examination produces nothing anyone can admire and tends to lower your opinion of yourself, which is precisely why it opens onto whatever is larger than you.

If you can discuss a subject expertly and cannot say plainly what you are afraid of, that is the direction to walk. Set the reading aside for one evening. Write down what you have been avoiding thinking about, and do not tidy the sentences.