“They do not realize that I learn what I show them from their own minds. To my curiosity, even their silence is profound enough to be infinitely rich. If I am merely tangentially exposed to them, I experience reveries of discovery that last for weeks. Any ordinary person will do. I merely reveal aspects of the unique treasures they have become within, share the results, and have an experience that is really about the same as if I was in contact with an array of sophisticated nonhuman intelligences. The people around me are like mountains of jewels looking for a nice piece of jade. They are surprised when I give them diamonds. I do not have time to explain precisely how it is that they brought them along to begin with.”

— an anonymous informant