All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this, and one of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out he has the necessary speed, the prowess, to pick it up.

In Carlos Castaneda e a Fenda entre os Mundos - Vislumbres da Filosofia Ānahuacah no Século XXI Brazilian writer Luis Carlos de Morais analyzes the work of Carlos Castaneda its cultural implications and its continuation in other authors. ISBN 0-06-019220-8. In his books Castañeda narrates in first person the events leading to and following after his meeting Matus a half-Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" in 1960.

Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968 Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his alleged training in shamanism. The books narrated in the first person relate his supposed experiences under the tutelage of a Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" named Don Juan Matus.