There are times when you feel the struggle is too overwhelming, that you’re getting nowhere. Because every time you surface, a relentless beast inside just pulls you back down again.

But the truth is that as long as you can awaken the light and wisdom of your soul, the beast will stay at bay.

That is simply the nature of things. Just as with physical light, it takes only a small amount of light to push away much darkness, so with the wisdom of the soul—as long as you keep it shining, the stubborn idiocy of that inner beast will leave you alone.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Tanya, chapter 12.