[Spirit Dancer]

When one begins to practice simplicity, the ego is deprived
of the very strategy by which it sustains itself. Nothing
will deflate the ego more effectively than to be recognized
for what it is. It lives by pretension. It dies when the mask
is torn away and the stark reality is exposed to the gaze of
others. Simplicity also avails in braking the tyranny of
things. Ostentation, artificiality, ornamentation, pretentious
style, luxury—all require things. One requires few things
to be one’s self, one’s age, and one’s moral, intellectual,
or spiritual stature. What one is does not
depend upon what one has.

Albert E. Day