“From within myself there is no soul as a given, axiological whole already present in me; in relation to myself l have nothing to do with [my soul]; my self–reûex, insofar as it is mine, cannot give rise to a soul, but only to an evil and fragmented subjectivity, something which ought not to be; my inner life, owing in time, cannot be condensed for me into something valuable, precious, deserving of preservation and eternal life . . . the soul descends on me as a blessing upon a sinner, as an unearned and unexpected gift.”

Michael Bakthin