The mathematician of to-day admits that he can neither square the circle, duplicate the cube or trisect the angle. May not our mechanicians, in like manner, be ultimately forced to admit that aerial flight is one of that great class of problems with which men can never cope. . . I do not claim that this is a necessary conclusion from any past experience. But I do think that success must await progress of a different kind from that of invention.
Elie Wiesel
Acutely aware of the poverty of my means, language became obstacle. At every page I thought, 'That's not it. ' So I began again with other verbs and other images. No, that wasn't it either. But what exactly was that it I was searching for? It must have been all that eludes us, hidden behind a veil so as not to be stolen, usurped and trivialized. Words seemed weak and pale.
