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‘In Short’ (1942)
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Who can say turmoil of the mind? The mind moves as does the wrinkling skin upon a calm sea. The underneath is set, deep as the sea beneath a surface skin. Consciousness is no more of the mind than the surface is of the sea. And just as the surface of the sea lies bang opposite to the sky and, indeed, is thus defined, so does consciousness lie opposite to the external world. Mental processes, unknown in themselves, obtain entry to consciousness through speech. Symbolic substitution, even without speech, is natural to the child: it is fundamental. The basis of speech is substitution, the basis of all projection of the ‘everything’ in the unconscious. To create is to substitute. Consciousness is made up of reality sensations and of substitutions, of reality and of its image.

To project is to distort. From moment to moment, we can look upon the truth within only in terms of an outside ramification, taking for our arrangement the exquisite arrangement of space. The asperity of things, even the fiftfulness of stray wood tossed upon the tide, would not trouble a spirit freed from anxiety.

‘Notes for a Book beginning August 1943’ (1943)
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Mental life as well as physical life is a laying out of strength within, in rivalry, as it were, with the laid-out instantaneous world of space. To project is to distort etc [sic]

‘Envoi’ (1944–45) in Venice: An Aspect of Art (1945)
Stokes 1978, vol.2, pp.134–38

Substitution is the constant factor of mental activity. To create is to substitute. Consciousness is made up of reality sensations and of substitutions, of reality and its image. Man is alive twice over: he has the power to live and to enlarge upon living. He is alive in reality and in image. (p.137)

Mental as well as physical life is a laying out of strength within, in rivalry, as it were, with the laid-out instantaneous world of space. To project is to distort. From moment to moment we can look upon the truth within only in terms of an outside ramification, taking for our arrangement the exquisite arrangement of space. (p.137)

Consciousness is no more of the mind than the surface is of the sea. And just as the surface of the sea lies opposite to the sky and, indeed, is thus defined, so does consciousness lie opposite to the external world. Mental processes, unknown in themselves, obtain entry to consciousness through speech. Symbolic substitution, even before speech, is natural to the infant. The basis of speech is substitution, the basis of all projection. To create is to substitute. (p.138)

‘The Outer and the Inner Life’ (1939–43/44)
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Thought processes, unconscious per se, obtain entry to consciousness via the function of speech. Symbolic substitution, even without speech, is as natural to the child as to anyone: it is fundamental: an inherited thought-disposition. The basis of speech is substitution, the basis of all projection of the ‘everything’ that we carry about in the unconscious. All creation is substitution. Consciousness is made up of reality sensations and of substitutions, of reality and of the image. Man is alive twice over: he has this power both to live and to enlarge upon it. He is alive in reality and in image. (p.11)

Our projections are distortions: taken all together, however, not so much distortion as infinite ramification from the interplay of a few themes. We can only look upon the truth within in terms of the outside ramification, taking for our arrangement the exquisite arrangement of space. (p.12)

Who can say 'turmoil of the mind'. The mind moves as does the wrinkling skin upon a calm sea. The underneath is set and no less deep than is the sea beneath the skin. Body is as land, mind as sea. Consciousness is no more of the mind than is the surface of the sea. And just as the surface lies bang opposite to the sky, and, indeed, is thus to be defined, so does consciousness lie opposite the external world. (p.14)

The asperity of things, even the fitfullness [sic] of stray wood tossed upon the tide, would not trouble the spirit freed from anxiety. (p.22)

‘In Short’ (1942)
TGA 8816/167

Who can say turmoil of the mind? The mind moves as does the wrinkling skin upon a calm sea. The underneath is set, deep as the sea beneath a surface skin. Consciousness is no more of the mind than the surface is of the sea. And just as the surface of the sea lies bang opposite to the sky, and, indeed, is thus defined, so does consciousness lie opposite to the external world. Mental processes, unknown in themselves, obtain entry to consciousness through speech. Symbolic substitution, even without speech, is natural to the child: it is fundamental. The basis of speech is substitution, the basis of all projection of the ‘everything’ in the unconscious. To create is to substitute. Consciousness is made up of reality sensations and of substitutions, of reality and of its image.

To project is to distort. From moment to moment, we can look upon the truth within only in terms of an outside ramification, taking for our arrangement the exquisite arrangement of space. The asperity of things, even the fitfulness of stray wood tossed upon the tide, would not trouble a spirit freed from anxiety.

‘The Outer and the Inner Life’
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We have a higher standard of fact, and we know more fact than ever before. Similarly we recognize as fantasy far more than was so before. We know and understand more about fact and more about fantasy and each in its extreme form have [sic] attained an entirely different level of purity. And since all mental processes are made up of the interelationship of fact and fantasy, we understand more about, not only ourselves, but about the external world. The two are bound to walk hand in hand. The great philosophical enquiry of the last three centuries known as the Theory of Knowledge, has prepared us for this naked recognition of fact and fantasy, this new understanding of the relationship between inner and outer objects.

‘In Short’
TGA 8816/167

We have a higher standard of fact, and we know more fact than ever before. Similarly we recognize far more as fantasy. We understand a great deal more, not only about the external world, but about ourselves. The great philosophical enquiry of the last three centuries known as the Theory of Knowledge, has prepared us for this naked recognition of fact and fantasy, and for new understanding of the interrelationship between inner and outer objects.