As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.

As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no read more

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.

Only one thing is certain -- that is, nothing is certain. If this statement is true, it is also false.

Only one thing is certain -- that is, nothing is certain. If this statement is true, it is also false.

Some of us still get all weepy when we think about the Gaia Hypothesis, the idea that earth is a read more

Some of us still get all weepy when we think about the Gaia Hypothesis, the idea that earth is a big furry goddess-creature who resembles everybody's mom in that she knows what's best for us. But if you look at the historical record -- Krakatoa, Mt. Vesuvius, Hurricane Charley, poison ivy, and so forth down the ages -- you have to ask yourself: Whose side is she on, anyway?

The charm, one might say the genius of memory, is that it is choosy, chancy, and temperamental: it rejects the read more

The charm, one might say the genius of memory, is that it is choosy, chancy, and temperamental: it rejects the edifying cathedral and indelibly photographs the small boy outside, chewing a hunk of melon in the dust.

I admire people who are suited to the contemplative life. They can sit inside themselves like honey in a jar read more

I admire people who are suited to the contemplative life. They can sit inside themselves like honey in a jar and just be. It's wonderful to have someone like that around, you always feel you can count on them. You can go away and come back, you can change your mind and your hairdo and your politics, and when you get through doing all these upsetting things, you look around and there they are, just the way they were, just being.

And that's the world in a nutshell, which is an appropriate receptacle.

And that's the world in a nutshell, which is an appropriate receptacle.