"People have a tendency to stop thinking when it first becomes difficult; and it is at that point, I would add, that thinking becomes fruitful. A man senses that the resolution of the questions before him demands labour—and he wants to evade this. If he had no means of stupefying himself, he would be unable to drive the questions out of his consciousness, and he would be forced, against his will, to resolve them. Instead of this, however, he has found means to drive the questions away as soon as they arise. As soon as the questions demanding resolution begins to torment him, he resorts to these means and so avoids the anxiety they evoke. His consciousness ceases to demand a resolution, and the unresolved questions remain unresolved until the next moment of clarity. But at this next moment of clarity he does exactly the same; often he remains entire months, years or even his whole life, confronted by the same moral questions, failing to take even one step towards their resolution. And yet it is the resolution of moral questions that constitutes the movement of life."