There is psychological pleasure in this takeoff, too, for the swiftness of the plane’s ascent is an exemplary symbol of transformation. The display of power can inspire us to imagine analogous, decisive shifts in our own lives, to imagine that we, too, might one day surge above much that now looms over us.” P. 38-39

Let death find us as we are building up our matchstick protests against its waves.

One of our major flaws, and causes of unhappiness, is that we find it hard to take note of appreciate and be grateful for what is always around us. We suffer because we lose sight of the value of what is before us and yearn, often unfairly, for the imagined attraction elsewhere.

I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it.

The media insists on taking what someone didn't mean to say as being far closer to the truth than what they did.

What we find exotic abroad may be what we hunger for in vain at home.

The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to.