One goal loomed before Siddhartha, and only one: to become empty, to be empty of thirst, of wishing, of dreams --empty all joy and pain. He wanted the Self to die, to no longer be an "I," to find peace with an empty heart. His goal was to stand open to the wonder of thoughts conceived in self-dissolution. When every shred of his self had been conquered and put to death, when every longing and every inclination of the heart had been silenced, then the Ultimate had to awaken, that which was innermost had to come into being, that which was nothing less than the ego, the great secret.
Taken from: Hesse, Hermann. (1922/2008). Siddhartha. Simmon & Schuter Paperbacks. New York. Pág. 16