Edward Abbey - Quotable

 Edward Abbey is one quotable man, let me tell you. Choosing only two excerpts from his work was quite challenging (notice that both of my choices come from the first writing of his that I encountered). Rather than overdoing it here, I decided to make my best effort at being concise (is concision a word??), then dedicate a whole post to Abbey when I have time to jot down some thoughts. For now, please enjoy these excerpts from Abbey's "The Serpents of Paradise" and "The Great American Desert," respectively. (Both found in Finch and Elder's The Norton Book of Nature Writing.)

"All men are brothers, we like to say, half-wishing sometimes in secret it were not true. But perhaps it is true. And is the evolutionary line from protozoan to Spinoza any less certain? That also may be true. We are obliged, therefore to spread the news, painful and bitter though it may be for some to hear, that all living things on earth are kindred" (620).

"I studied the scene with care, looking for an ancient Indian ruin, a significant cairn, perhaps an abandoned mine, a hidden treasure of some inconceivable wealth, the mother of all mother lodes... But there was nothing out there. Nothing at all. Nothing but the desert. Nothing but the silent world. That's why." (627).

Additionally, please enjoy Abbey's great beard, pictured below.

P.S. I failed at picking two, who's surprised. 

Honorable Mentions because they made me laugh audibly:

"It would be like murder; and where would I set my coffee?" (616).

"No matter where my head and feet may go, my heart and my entrails stay behind..." (620).

"Survival Hint #1: Stay out of there. Don't go. Stay home and read a good book, this one for example" (620).

And because I relate on a ~spiritual~ level:

"Am I compelled to put on boots or shoes every time I wish to step outside?" (616).

"The first thing I did was take off my pants. Naturally" (The Best of Edward Abbey, 65).