Part 1
Any path through life produced and paved by thought -- regardless how promising it may seem to be -- is, in fact, a dead-end.
Part 2
All memories are dreams; no dream is real. Which means we will never realize our True Self until we stop identifying with what amounts to a memory-induced sense of self: a false nature created and sustained by a legion of old thoughts and feelings that are highly favored for their familiarity.