“Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.”

“To be good or bad doesn't count: life out in this world doesn't depend on that. It depends on a relation of forces based on violence. And survival is violence. You'll wear leather shoes because someone has killed a cow and skinned it to make leather.”

“Seem like a lot of people wear shoes they can't walk in.”

“Old friends, like old shoes, are comfortable. But old shoes, unlike old friends, tend not to be supportive: it is easier to stumble and sprain an ankle while wearing a pair of old shoes than it is in new shoes, with their less yielding leather.”

“Where would I find enough leather
To cover the entire surface of the earth?
But with leather soles beneath my feet,
It’s as if the whole world has been covered.”

“I'd much prefer my books to shoes… In the summer I sometimes take walks without shoes but never without a novel.”

“Well," said Dr Jochum, "you are like all reformers. You like to reform the world because it is easier than trying to reform yourself.”

“Where would there be leather enough to cover the entire world? With just the leather of my sandals, it is as if the whole world were covered. Likewise, I am unable to restrain external phenomena, but I shall restrain my own mind. What need is there to restrain anything else?”

“Religion is like a pair of shoes….. Find one that fits for you, but don't make me wear your shoes.”

“But if I wanted shoes, and you had given me a piece of leather to make myself shoes, I should be laughed at if I took it.”