Only a fool would leave the enjoyment of rainbows to the opticians. Or give the science of optics the last word on the matter.

In the American Southwest, I began a lifelong love affair with a pile of rock.

The national parks belong to everyone. To the people. To all of us. The government keeps saying so and maybe, in this one case at least, the government is telling the truth. Hard to believe, but possible.

The nuclear bomb took all the fun out of war.

One single act of defiance against power, against the State that seems omnipotent but is not, transforms and transfigures the human personality. At least for a time. For a while. Perhaps that is enough.

Jane Austen: Getting into her books is like getting in bed with a cadaver. Something vital is lacking; namely, life.

There are some places so beautiful they can make a grown man break down and weep.