Each man carries the vestiges of his birth–the slime and eggshells of his primeval past–with him to the end of his days. Some never become human, remaining frog, lizard, ant. Some are human above the waist, fish below. Each represents a gamble on the part of nature in creation of the human. We all share the same origin, our mothers; all of us come in at the same door. But each of us–experiments of the depths–strives toward his own destiny. We can understand one another; but each of us is able to interpret himself to himself alone.”

― Hermann Hesse, Demian: Die Geschichte von Emil Sinclairs Jugend

Hermann Karl Hesse was a German-Swiss poet and novelist, and winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature. His interest in Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions, combined with his involvement with Jungian analysis, helped shape his literary work. Wikipedia

Born July 2, 1877, Calw, Germany

Died August 9, 1962 (age 85 years), Montagnola, Collina d’Oro, Switzerland