Paul Brunton Philosophic Foundation homepage > Notebooks of Paul Brunton



I have known quite a number of hermits, ascetics, and monks in my time and travels, but I have never known one who was so totally withdrawn from the world that he was not, in some small or large way, dependent on the world. Complete isolation is theoretically possible but practically it is not permanently possible. Even the millionaire who seeks it needs those who will help create it for him, and to that extent he depends on them.

-- Notebooks Category 3: Relax and Retreat > Chapter 5 : Solitude > # 42