“Morality consists of supplanting the natural being (the old self) with an artificial being that is preferred. But then, we are no longer sincere. The old self is the sincere self. I find this: the old self is the poet. The new self , that we prefer, is the artist. The artist has to supplant the poet. From the fight between the two, the work of art is born.

To find pleasure in the effort has been the secret to my happiness.” – Andre Gide, 1892.