"It's very very important, don Juan went on, "that you yourself deliberately arrive at that breaking point, or that you create it artificially and intelligently."
"What do you mean by that, don Juan, " I asked, caught in his intriguing reasoning.
"Your breaking point, " he said, "is to discontinue your life as you know it. You have done everything I told you, dutifully and accurately. If you are talented, you never show it. That seems to be your style. You're not slow, but you act as if you were. You're very sure of yourself, but you act as if you were insecure. You're not timid, and yet you act as if you were afraid of people. Everything you do points at one single spot; your need to break all that, ruthlessly."
"But in what way, don Juan? What do you have in mind?" I asked him, genuinely frantic,
"I think everything boils down to one act, " he said, "You must leave your friends. You must say goodbye to them, for good. It's not possible for you to continue on the warrior's path carrying your personal history with you, and unless you discontinue your way of life, I won't be able to go ahead with my instruction."
