He'd always had a quickening of the heart when he crossed into Arizona and beheld the cactus country. This was as the desert should be, this was the desert of the picture books, with the land unrolled to the farthest distant horizon hills, with saguaro standing sentinel in their strange chessboard pattern, towering supinely above the fans of ocotillo and brushy mesquite.

Scientists are skeptics. It's unfortunate that the word 'skeptic' has taken on other connotations in the culture involving nihilism and cynicism. Really, in its pure and original meaning, it's just thoughtful inquiry.

Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest. Until your Good is Better, and your Better is your Best.

Fake friends are around when they think you're cool. True friends are around even when they think you're fool.

Perhaps we should keep our monsters about us, lest we become them ourselves.

A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.

A real friend's got your back, while the fake ones are sticking knives in it.