“I never read the scriptures; in fact I avoid them, because I have my own experience of the transcendent and I don’t want others’ words to be mixed with my original, authentic, individual experience. I want to offer God exactly what is my heartbeat. Others may have known— certainly, others have known—but their knowledge cannot be my knowledge. Only my experience can satisfy me, can fulfill my search, can give me trust in existence. I don’t want to be a believer.”

– Rabindranath Tagore