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.

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

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.

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

A writer's work is to witness things.

If human nature eventually is going to take the place of nature everywhere, those of us who have been naturalists will have to transpose the faith in nature which is inherent in the profession to a faith in man-if necessary, man alone in the world.

A mountain with a wolf on it stands a little taller.