A portion of one of my favorite Merton passages. The photo is from my trip to the Abbey of Gethsemani, where Merton lived and wrote.

[There] is only one problem on which all my existence, my peace and my happiness depend: to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him.

But although this looks simple, it is in reality immensely difficult. In fact, if I am left to myself it will be utterly impossible. For although I can know something of God's existence and nature by my own reason, there is no human and rational way in which I can arrive at that contact, that possession of Him, which will be the discovery of Who He really is and of Who I am in Him.

That is something that no man can ever do alone.

Nor can all the men and all the created things in the universe help him in his work.

The only One Who can teach me to find God is God, Himself, Alone. — New Seeds, chapter 5.