From the seed grows a root, then a sprout; from the sprout, the
seedling leaves; from the leaves, the stem; around the stem, the
branches; at the top, the flower.... We cannot say that the seed causes
the growth, nor that the soil does. We can say that the potentialities
for growth lie within the seed, in mysterious life forces, which, when
properly fostered, take on certain forms.
M. C. Richards, Centering in
Pottery, Poetry and the Person