It was Indian summer, a bluebird sort of day as we call it in the north, warm and sunny, without a breath of wind; the water was sky-blue, the shores a bank of solid gold.

Joys come from simple and natural things: mists over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water.

Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.

Simplicity in all things is the secret of the wilderness and one of its most valuable lessons

Without love of the land, conservation lacks meaning or purpose, for only in a deep and inherent feeling for the land can there be dedication in preserving it.

At times on quiet waters one does not speak aloud but only in whispers, for then all noise is sacrilege.

If we can change our priorities, achieve balance and understanding in our roles as human beings in a complex world, the coming era can well be that of a richer civilization, not its end.

As long as there are young men with the light of adventure in their eyes and a touch of wildness in their souls, rapids will be run.

The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten.

When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known.

Awareness is becoming acquainted with environment, no matter where one happens to be. Man does not suddenly become aware or infused with wonder; it is something we are born with.

Little as she was addicted to solitude, there had come to be moments when it seemed a welcome escape from the empty noises of her life.

When preaching is done right, it can change lives. When it's done badly, my failure goes beyond the merely human.

When you trust people to help you, they often do.

Our tendency in life is to avoid things that frighten us. But in order to become whole, we need to go deeper and deeper into ourselves by reaching further and further into the things we fear.

Language, after all, is only the use of symbols, and Art also can only affect us through symbols.

I do not believe in shooting anything that cannot shoot back.

I have gone insane. I won't be talking with you for a while.

You have to carry so many archetypes as an actor, especially as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed one.

Thinking nurseth thinking.

Last week I told my wife, If you would learn to cook, I could fire the chef. She said, If you could learn to make love, I could fire the chauffer.