If the world is irrational, we can never know it -- either it or its irrationality. Edward Abbey More Quotes by Edward Abbey More Quotes From Edward Abbey I come more and more to the conclusion that wilderness, in America or anywhere else, is the only thing left that is worth saving. Edward Abbey wilderness saving america Beware the writer who always encloses the word *reality* in quotation marks: He's trying to slip something over on you. Or into you. Edward Abbey quotation-marks trying reality Humility is a virtue when you have no other. Edward Abbey virtue humility I always write with my .357 magnum handy. Why? Well, you never know when God may try to interfere. Edward Abbey writing may trying Orthodoxy is a relaxation of the mind accompanied by a stiffening of the heart. Edward Abbey mind heart relaxation The absurd vanity of metaphysicians who like to imagine that they create the world by thinking about it. Edward Abbey vanity world thinking Most new books drop immediately into the oblivion they so richly deserve. Edward Abbey new-books oblivion book Our big social institutions do not reflect human nature; they distort it. Edward Abbey institutions human-nature social One word is worth a thousand pictures. If it's the right word. Edward Abbey one-word thousand right-words Reason has seldom failed us because it has seldom been tried. Edward Abbey reason Good writing can be defined as having something to say and saying it well. When one has nothing to say, one should remain silent. Silence is always beautiful at such times. Edward Abbey silence writing beautiful Writers should avoid the academy. When a writer begins to accept pay for talking about words, we know what he will produce soon: nothing but words. Edward Abbey accepting pay talking When the writer has done his best, he then should proceed to do his second best. Edward Abbey second-best done should How to Avoid Pleurisy: Never make love to a girl named Candy on the tailgate of a half-ton Ford pickup during a chill rain in April out on Grandview Point in San Juan County, Utah. Edward Abbey utah girl rain Motherhood is an essential, difficult, and full-time job. Women who do not wish to be mothers should not have babies. Edward Abbey mother baby jobs Every man should be his own guru; every woman her own gurette. Edward Abbey guru should men You can't belay a man who's falling in love. Edward Abbey falling-in-love men fall What is reason? Knowledge informed by sympathy, intelligence in the arms of Edward Abbey arms reason Women truly are better than men. Otherwise, they'd be intolerable. Edward Abbey men It is the difference between men and women, not the sameness, that creates the tension and the delight. Edward Abbey delight differences men
