The famous Zen parable about the master for whom, before his studies, mountains were only mountains, but during his studies mountains were no longer mountains, and afterward mountains were again mountains could be interpreted as an alleory about [the perpetual paradox that when one is closest to a destination one is also the farthest).

EXPLORING the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains.

Think of civil society and the state as joined in a marriage of necessity. You already know who the wife is, the one who is supposed to love, cherish and obey: that's civil society. Think of the state as the domineering husband who expects to have a monopoly on power, on violence, on planning and policymaking.

A city always contains more than any inhabitant can know, and a great city always makes the unknown and the possible spurs to the imagination.

We have only the language for fun and miserable, and maybe we need language for deep and shallow, meaningful and meaningless.

Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine initial act of insurrection.

It's hardly surprising that the corporate aliens lie when it comes to the relationship between doing something about climate change and the economy.