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“However, he still retained something of the fluid notions of male and female at the heart of the Ramakrishna's spiritual idealism: 'The true man is he who is strong as strength itself and yet possesses a woman's heart.' Central to this man-making was obedience: 'If your superiors order you to throw yourself into a river and catch a crocodile, you must first obey and then reason with him [sic].' This type of yogu put sacrifice before rationality: to give up one's life without a thought was to be the freest of all. He also emphasized an almost military loyalty to the order that squashed the temptation of sect and schism. And yet, there remained that impossible paradox: 'You must be free as the air, and as obedient as this plant and the dog.” — Ruth Harris