All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. ... Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.

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.