It's incongruous that the older we get, the more likely we are to turn in the direction of religion. Less vivid and intense ourselves, closer to the grave, we begin to conceive of ourselves as immortal.

Country people tend to consider that they have a corner on righteousness and to distrust most manifestations of cleverness, while people in the city are leery of righteousness but ascribe to themselves all manner of cleverness.

Indeed, if "biology is chemistry with history," as somebody has said, then nature writing is biology with love.

Sophistication" is another word for that inventive mix of tolerance, resilience, and resourcefulness city people develop.

Men often compete with one another until the day they die. Comradeship consists of rubbing shoulders jocularly with a competitor.

Country people do not behave as if they think life is short; they live on the principle that it is long, and savor variations of the kind best appreciated if most days are the same.

City people try to buy time as a rule, when they can, whereas country people are prepared to kill time, although both try to cherish in their mind's eye the notion of a better life ahead.