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Must a man take formal vows in order to discipline himself? Can he not be loyal to his ideal, which in the end is self-chosen or he would not have turned his back upon the world, without making promises and uttering pledges which it may not be possible to redeem? Are the tonsured head and the coarse robe essential to ensure the practice of self-control in act and thought? If he is to persevere in the purification of character, is it not enough that he himself wants it?

-- Notebooks Category 1: Overview of the Quest > Chapter 3 : Independent Path > # 236