Honesty? Manipulation? Fear? One and the same behavior is again and again co-opted by conflicting motivations—each, in turn, laying absolute claim to the soul.

     —But this describes us all, no?

Kennel of the Soul—

     Some sentiments are warehoused, others put to sleep. Every so often someone comes by to rescue one, and, even more seldomly, one breaks loose.

Disinhibition—

     Among the principle functions of the brain's more recently evolved structures is the inhibition of certain behaviors. Thus, many injuries to these structures result in the disinhibition of the "corresponding" actions.

     —But evolution is blind to the psychological cost of this psychic tension. She sees only outputs, not processes. The same level of external activity implies much more internal force for a human than for the "less evolved" organisms. The soil of consciousness is continuously renewed by the ashes of these dynamic contradictions.

Character Witness—

     Our reasons for our actions are the first things we forget—and the first things we call to our defense.

If you spend too long telling them what they want to hear, you'll end up mistaking it for what you wanted to say.