Theoretical acceptance of the doctrine of reincarnation leads us to cancel out part of the claim of the materialists that the influence of environment makes the whole of man. For as a spiritual being, the man's essential self is already there even from birth, and is really unfolding himself into a material environment. The latter provides him with conditions which enable him to express himself, or by failing to provide those conditions hinder that expression. But the environment cannot wholly change a man or cannot wholly eliminate his true character. What he really is will sooner or later come out and show itself, with or without the help of environment. It is true, however, that a part of him might be unable to express itself altogether owing to a completely adverse environment or set of conditions. Nevertheless, the unexpressed part would still remain latently existent within his character and even if it never expressed itself at all throughout the whole of his lifetime it would reappear and express itself in a later reincarnation.
-- Notebooks Category 9: From Birth to Rebirth > Chapter 2 : Rebirth and Reincarnation > # 27
