He who holds me by a thread is not strong; the thread is strong. – Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

And upsidedown in the earth a dead man walks upon my soles when I walk. – Bill Knott, “(End) of Summer (1966)” (Thanks, Laurie)

Two and two the mathematician continues to make four, in spite of the whine of the amateur for three, or the cry of the critic for five. – James McNeill Whistler, Whistler Versus Ruskin, 1878