Abolition of a woman's right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State.

Good writing can be defined as having something to say and saying it well. When one has nothing to say, one should remain silent. Silence is always beautiful at such times.

The axiom of conditioned repetition, like the binomial theorem, is nothing but a piece of insolence.

We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope.

Why do I live in the desert? Because the desert is the *locus Dei*.

Nature, like Maimonides said, is mainly a good place to throw beer cans on Sunday afternoons.

To the Technocrats: Have mercy on us. Relax a bit, take time out for simple pleasures. For example, the luxuries of electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating, instant electronic communication and such, have taught me to relearn and enjoy the basic human satisfactions of dipping water from a cold clear mountain stream; of building a wood fire in a cast-iron stove; of using long winter nights for making music, making things, making love; of writing long letters, in longhand with a fountain pen, to the few people on this earth I truly care about.