The most striking thing about the rich is the gracious democracy of their manners -- and the crude vulgarity of their way of life.

Places: a cold, bleak, lonely day on the rim at Muley Point, Utah. And the heart-cracking loveliness of the blood-smeared, bitter, incomprehensible slaughterhouse of a world.

What is the purpose of the giant sequoia tree? The purpose of the giant sequoia tree is to provide shade for the tiny titmouse.

Desire, said the Buddha, is the cause of suffering. But without desire, what delight?

Tofu and futons. The adepts of Orientalism seem to spend most of their lives reclining. They can't quite summon the energy to crawl up onto a chair. Even their Yogic exercises are carried out in a prone or sitting position.

A crowded society is a restrictive society; an overcrowded society becomes an authoritarian, repressive and murderous society.

A good philosopher is one who does not take ideas seriously.