Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you.

The title deliberately recalls the famous novelas ejemplares of Miguel de Cervantes. It is based on his experiences as a child during the Carlist siege of Bilbao in the Third Carlist War. There is no need for us to say this with whispered tones.

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 Bilbao Biscay Basque Country Spain – 31 December 1936 Salamanca Salamanca Castile and León Spain) was a Spanish essayist novelist poet playwright and philosopher. His major philosophical essay was The Tragic Sense of Life (1913) and his most famous novel was Abel Sánchez: The History of a Passion (1917) a modern exploration of the Cain and Abel story.