The outstanding quality of Hinduism, and that which has contributed most to its survival, is the ability of its followers to embrace and learn from everything. . . . Passed on by word of mouth over centuries, the stories and legends of Hinduism have become long epics filled with great insight. Thousands of years of singing and chanting, weaving together tales of reality with tales of fantasy, informing both with an evolving spirituality, and illustrating everything with a highly expressive art — all this has contributed to that which we call Hinduism.
— Priya Hemenway, Hindu Gods