Quotation essay

• In The Power of One, written by Bryce Courtenay, we find that life's lessons come in many forms and in from many people. As we follow the main character, Peekay, we see how he learns and who teaches him these lessons. As the story is told from Peekay's point of view, starting from when he was a small boy, we see the most important things that other's tell him. We see how choice words hold meaning for him and how they help with the rest of his life.

• "The searcher after truth must search with humanity. Ruthless logic is the sign of a limited mind. The truth can only add to the sum of what you know, while a harmless mystery left unexplored often adds to the meaning of life. When a truth is not so important, it is better left as a mystery." (The Power of One, pg 263) This quote is said to Peekay by Doc in one of their conversations. Delving deep into the meanings of his words we can see how he teaches the important lesson of how one can not conquer life's mysteries by merely thinking them to death. True, one must have knowledge and a set thought process to begin in any matter, but one does not advance very far when thought holds you back and adds no more to what you know. One must then apply their own gut instincts and what one feels. Immersing one's self and mind in the subject leads to a true understanding and a true knowing of what is going on. Peekay has heard this lesson before from Hoppie, but in much simpler terms, "First with your head and then with your heart."

• This lessons falls into play when Peekay falls in love with the new teacher at his school. The true intellect of all the people around him can not help and he has no knowledge of the sort of things that go into love or of how to express his love in proper ways. This poses a difficult problem for him because his head has come up short on several accounts and he must rely on both his own heart and that of the others around him. In the end they ended up deciding that a bunch of roses a week would be a wonderful way of expressing his love. People in our society now seem to have a vast advantage over poor Peekay because we learn from watching TV and all the romantic movies were we see the perfect relationship. We then try to apply what we learn there to our actual relationships, applying them as though they were actual knowledge. There comes a time though when we leap without looking, following our heart into the unknown and then, SPLASH, everything works its way out and we either succumb to our love or we get over it and swim somewhere else.

• This lesson is a good one because it stands true beside everyone. You can only go so far relying on your mind to guide you. At some point you have to give way to your heart and let it guide you and give you strength and feeling to carry you through. In this world, there are very few things that you can get by doing with just what is in your brain. The worst part of that though, is thinking back and wondering, "Is this worth it? Will I regret following this path?" It is, ironically, questions that only your heart can tell you.