When I was a little boy I used to borrow my father's hat, and make a press card to stick in the hat band. That was the way reporters were always portrayed in the movies.

Rivers run through our history and folklore, and link us as a people. They nourish and refresh us and provide a home for dazzling varieties of fish and wildlife and trees and plants of every sort. We are a nation rich in rivers.

I believe that writing is derivative. I think good writing comes from good reading.

My parents encouraged me in everything I ever wanted to do.

Look for joy in your life; it's not always easy to find.

I wasn't a very discriminating reader. I read just about everything that came along.

It was cold out there, bitter, biting, cutting, piercing, hyperborean, marmoreal cold, and there were all these Minnesotans running around outdoors, happy as lambs in the spring.