He believes in God, he believes God sees his heart and understands. But he does not say, “I must do what God put me here to do.” His gifts come from nature; the will to accomplish great things is his own. He does not believe God is chastising him. As authors of his fate he names the mythical Parcae. He does not pray for miracles because he does not believe in them—even if only a miracle could restore his health. His relationship to God would change and deepen over the years, he would draw closer, he would pray. But years later when a protégé wrote on a score, “Finished with the help of God,”
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In a way, consistent with beliefs. In a way, not.
consistent with idea that we are to help ourselves: effort matters.
But inconsistent in that there is no I; it's the eliminating of the ego which is the goal
