From a lecture to the Goetheanum workmen -

"Concepts fall apart in the physical body, and yet human beings do not want to learn to think with the etheric body. They do not want to think independently. Now you see why, in the year 1893, it became necessary for me to write the book The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity. It is not the contents of this book that are so important, although obviously at that time one wished to tell the world what was said in it, but the most important thing is that independent thinking appeared in this book for the first time. No-one can possibly understand this book who does not think independently. From the beginning, page by page, a reader must become accustomed to using his etheric body if he would think these thoughts at all. Hence this book is a means of education - a very important means - and must be taken up as such.

"When this book appeared in the nineties people did not know at all what to make of it. It was as if someone in Europe wrote Chinese and no-one could understand it. It was of course written in German, but people were completely unaccustomed to the thoughts expressed in it because all connection with Latin was purposely cast off. For the very first time, quite consciously, it was intended that there should be no thoughts in it that are influenced by Latin, but only independent thoughts. Only the physical brain is a Latin scholar. The etheric body is no Latin scholar, and therefore one has to try and express such thoughts in a language one can only have in the etheric body." (28 June 1923)

"So today I have drawn your attention to the fact that one must first learn to think independently. Well one can do this. I do not want to say - for I am not a conceited fool - that only my Philosophy of Spiritual Activity serves this purpose, but it was quite consciously written in a way that would lead to independent thinking." (28 June 1923)