There is an intense but simple thrill in setting off in the morning on a mountain trail, knowing that everything you need is on your back. It is a confidence in having left the inessentials behind and of entering a world of natural beauty that has not been violated, where money has no value, and possessions are a dead weight. The person with the fewest possessions is the freest. Thoreau was right.

I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. It's like a kiddie thing, a complete time waster.

The Japanese have perfected good manners and made them indistinguishable from rudeness.

A person who is tired of London is not necessarily tired of life; it might be that he just can’t find a parking place.

Airplanes have dulled and desensitized us; we are encumbered, like lovers in a suit of armor.

I never stay with people and I never look people up when I travel. I depend more on just chance meetings. The advantage is that people don't know who I am. I meet people casually and they're not doing me a big favor because I'm going to write something.

You must not judge people by their country. In South America, it is always wise to judge people by their altitude.