From the nightstand, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki (and His Years of Pilgrimage) by Haruki Murakami:

"The cook hates the waiter, and they both hate the customer," Haida said. "A line from the Arnold Wesker play, The Kitchen. People whose freedom is taken away always end up hating somebody. Right? I know I don't want to live like that." 

"Never being constrained, thinking about things freely-- that's what you are hoping for?" 

"Exactly." 

"But it seems to me that thinking about things freely can't be easy." 

"It means leaving behind your physical body. Leaving the cage of your physical flesh, breaking free of chains, and letting pure logic soar free. Giving a natural life to logic. That's the core of free thought." 

"It doesn't sound easy." 

"Haida shook his head. "No, depending on how you look at it, it's not that hard. Most people do it at times, without even realizing it. That's how they manage to stay sane. They're just not aware that's what they're doing...." 

"But unless you can do that intentionally." Tsukuru said, "you can't achieve real freedom of thought you're talking about, right?" 

"Exactly...  ......What I'm looking for here is a free environment, and time. That's all. In an academic setting if you want to discuss what it means to think, you first need to agree on a theoretical definition. And that's where things get sticky. Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. So said Voltaire, the realist." 

"You agree with that?" 

"Everything has boundaries. The same holds true with thought. You shouldn't fear boundaries, but you also should not be afraid of destroying them. That's what is most important if you want to be free: respect for and exasperation with boundaries. What's really important in life is always the things that are secondary. That's all I can say."