“History has taught us that often lies serve her better than the truth; for man is slu-ggish and has to be led through the desert for forty years before each step in his development. And he has to be driven through the desert with threats and promises, by imaginary terrors and imaginary conso-lations, so that he should not sit down prematurely to rest and divert himself by worshipping golden calves.”

Arthur Koestler,
Darkness at Noon