"There is in Fantastica a certain place from which one can go anywhere and which can be reached from anywhere. We call it the Temple of a Thousand Doors. No one has ever seen it from outside. The inside is a maze of doors. Anyone wishing to know it must dare to enter it."
"But how is that possible if it can't be approached from outside?"
"Every door in Fantastica," said the lion, "even the most ordinary stable, kitchen, or cupboard door, can become the entrance to the Temple of a Thousand Doors at the right moment. And none of these thousand doors leads back to where one came from. There is no return."
"And once someone is inside," Bastian asked, "can he get out and go somewhere?"
"Yes," said the lion. "But it's not as simple as in other buildings. Only a genuine wish can lead you through the maze of the thousand doors. Without a genuine wish, you just have to wander around until you know what you really want. And that can take a long time."
"How will I find the entrance?"
"You've got to wish it."
Bastian pondered a long while. Then he said: "It seems strange that we can't just wish what we please. Where do our wishes come from? What is a wish anyway?"
Grograman gave the boy a long, earnest look, but made no answer.