“You can always tell the old river hand by the way in which he stretches himself out upon the cushions at the bottom of the boat, and encourages the rowers by telling them anecdotes about the marvellous feats he performed last season.”

“At last, giving me the boat's sail for a bed, he stretched himself out on the jagged rocks, and slept soundly as the unsanctified in a comfortable pew of a church; --I wish the benches were softer, and the cushions higher, as then more people might be tempted to take a nap; it is my only reason for never going.”

“The child must be given activities that encourage independence, and he must not be served by others in acts he can learn to perform himself.”

“You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his dog....”

“...a river season will last as long as it takes you to reach your newplace. If you get into the river and let it take you where you need tobe, your river season will last an afternoon. But if you fear changeand struggle and hold on to the rocks, the river season will last andlast. It will not end until your body becomes exhausted, your gripweakens, your hands slide off the rocks and the current takes you toyour new place.”

“The man, who, being really on the Way, falls upon hard times in the world will not, as a consequence, turn to that friend who offers him refuge and comfort and encourages his old self to survive. Rather, he will seek out someone who will faithfully and inexorably help him to risk himself, so that he may endure the suffering and pass courageously through it. Only to the extent that man exposes himself over and over again to annihilation, can that which is indestructible arise within him. In this lies the dignity of daring.”