the secret of the alchemists

[ArmsMerchant]

I really liked the way Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., put it, not that it is news to all of us. I brought the book in to the library but lost the place--as well as I can recall, the quote goes like this:

"The alchemists knew they could not change base metals to gold, but pretended to try, in order to get wealthy patrons. What they really wanted to do was change themselves."

Something important to bear in mind when one is tempted to eschew spiritual growth in favor of flashy shit.