In a very basic way, a prominent landmark such as Mt. Holyoke tells you where you are. They let you know that you're not the first person in a place

Many people find it easy to imagine unseen webs of malevolent conspiracy in the world, and they are not always wrong. But there is also an innocence that conspires to hold humanity together, and it is made of people who can never fully know the good that they have done.

If you live in the same small place long enough, something you don't like is bound to happen

I am grateful to Stacy Schiff first of all because she can write a sentence-because she offers us her scholarship with wit, clarity, and grace. Once again, she has done what only the best writers can do: she has made the world new, again.

I've gotta keep life and computers separate, or else I'm gonna go mad.

What interests me is trying to catch the reflection of the human being on the page. I'm interested in how ordinary people live their lives

I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.