The elephant is where the action is. The rider is there to serve the elephant.
我不追随潮流,我创造潮流。
The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.
Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people or find a different room.
The final test of a novel is whether you care so much for the people that you want to know what happens to them next.