Few men have souls so dead that they will not bother to look up when they hear the barking of wild Geese.
–Roger Tory Peterson
(for “men,” modern readers may wish to substitute “people”)
Quotes
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You will be no swimmer till you can place some confidence in the power of the water to support you. —Benjamin Franklin (via 10 Mile Swim)
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Why you are here.
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” … Story continues … “Why you are here.”
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“Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”
— Oliver Sacks, quoted by Michiko Kakutani, in the NYT today (via Steve Silberman)
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Bigos
“In the pots warmed the bigos; mere words cannot tell
Of its wondrous taste, colour and marvellous smell.
One can hear the words buzz, and the rhymes ebb and flow,
But its content no city digestion can know.
To appreciate the Lithuanian folksong and folk food,
You need health, [to] live on land, and be back from the wood.… Story continues … “Bigos” -
Successful people
“It’s extremely dangerous to follow the advice of successful people. Those successful people often don’t even know why they are successful. Luck may have been part of it. And even if they did know, how do you know their recipe for success is applicable to you?”… Story continues … “Successful people”
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wild Geese
“Few men have souls so dead that they will not bother to look up when they hear the barking of wild Geese.” –Roger Tory Peterson
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Lightning bugs into lightning
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning,” said Mark Twain.
An editor’s job, at its best, is about turning lightning bugs into lightning.