“That is what life meant, a unique presence, and it was essential in every creature.”

“Creation is thus God's presence in creatures. The Greek Orthodox theologian Philip Sherrard has written that "Creation is nothing less than the manifestation of God's hidden Being." This means that we and all other creatures live by a sanctity that is inexpressibly intimate, for to every creature, the gift of life is a portion of the breath and spirit of God. (pg. 308, Christianity and the Survival of Creation)”

“Awareness of mortality exerts a unique power to focus the mind and heart on essentials.”

“In short, for me to live happily it was essential for the creatures I chose not to live at all. They must receive their life, sporadically, only at my bidding.”

“All little creatures are beautiful...every living thing when it first sees life is born in beauty. What they grow to be is a different matter.”

“Anything whose presence or absence makes no discernible difference is no essential part of the whole.”