"You are lucky," she said as he left. "One door after another is opening up for you. Why is that? Do you know magic?"
Siddhartha said: "Yesterday I told you that I know how to think, to wait, and to fast, and you felt that these things were useless. But they are very useful, Kamala, you will see. You will see that the foolish samanas in the forest learn a lot of lovely things and can do things that you people cannot do. Two days ago, I was an ill-kempt begger, yesterday I already kissed Kamala, and soon I will be a merchant and have money and all the things you value."
"Fine," she conceded. "But where would you be without me? What would become of you if Kamala were not helping you?"
"Dear Kamala," said Siddhartha, drawing himself up full length. "When I walked into your grove, I was taking the first step. It was my resolve to learn love from this most beautiful woman. The instant I made that resolve, I also knew that I would carry it out. I knew that you would help me. I knew it the moment you looked at me by the entrance to the grove."
"But what if I had not wanted to help you?"
"You did want to. Listen, Kamala: If you toss a stone into water, it takes the swiftest way to the bottom. And Siddhartha is like that when he has a goal, makes a resolve. Siddhartha does nothing, he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he passes through the things of the world like the stone through the water, never acting, never stirring. He is drawn, he lets himself drop. his goal draws him, for he lets nothing into his soul that could go against his goal. that is what Siddhartha learned among the samanas. It is what fools call magic and what the think is worked by demons. nothing is worked by demons, there are no demons. Anyone can work magic, anyone can reach his goals if he can think, if he can wait, if he can fast."