And it does me good to do what's difficult. That doesn't stop me having a tremendous need for, shall I say the word—for religion—so I go outside at night to paint the stars
Variant translation: It does not matter if I feel a terrible need for religion. That is when I go outside, into the night, and paint the stars. / Another variant: When I have a terrible need of — shall I say the word — religion. Then I go out and paint the stars.
Letter to his brother Theo van Gogh, 29 September 1888. As quoted in: Reading Vincent van Gogh: A Thematic Guide to the Letters (Athabasca University Press, 2016), p. 27
