“Those are the things in the water that keep the moon in orbit. I've never quite understood just how they work. You mostly can't see the moon during the day, so they can't be very efficient.”

“People no longer live by sun and moon, by wind and stars, but by some slyly contrived conventions known as clocks and calendars.”

“What is time to a water rat? What is time to the river? Only we humans obsess over days and minutes, hours and seasons.”

“Keep your hand on the helm.”

“One takes what the river offers, both good and bad. The joy of living by running water far outweighs the sorrow.”

“Be patient with your boaters and let them rant. Most of them will get over it come December.”

“Living aboard one's sailboat and having neither house nor vehicle nor job, and needing none, would be hubris—the most arrogant presumption—and therefore suitable punishable by the gods. One would be drowned by Poseidon early on and die extremely happy.”