Necessity then compelled me to say: This living, rational thing is something that is not from the matter of this world—meaning the world of generation and corruption—but rather from things that are transient, foreign, arriving and departing. It is impossible for death to be the fountainhead of life, or for ignorance to be the fountainhead of intellect.

O soul: You must be certain that this living, rational thing is not from the elements of this world, but is something else entirely. Search for it so that you may know it, and explore its state so that you may experience it; by this, you shall be happy and achieve your labor and your perfection.