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The Serpents of Paradise: A Reader

Book by Edward Abbey · 12 quotes · Faces, Water, World

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The Serpents of Paradise: A Reader Quotes

“I am pleased enough with the surfaces - in fact they alone seem to me to be of much importance. Such things for example as the grasp of a child's hand in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of a friend or lover, the silk of a girl's thigh, the sunlight on the rock and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind - what else is there? What else do we need?”

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“A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks, for godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American.”

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“Come with me, the river said, close your eyes and quiet your limbs and float with me into the wonder and mystery of the canyons, see the unknown and the little known, look upon the stone gods face to face, see Medusa, drink my waters, hear my song, feel my power, come along and drift with me toward the distant, ultimate and legendary sea.”

FeelsLooksLittlesSaidEyeFacesSongWaterKnownWonderEnvironmentMysterySeaDrinkQuietRiversStonesUltimateLook UpLimbsFloatsFace To FaceLegendaryCanyonsMedusaWonder And Mystery
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“Late in August the lure of the mountains becomes irresistible. Seared by the everlasting sunfire, I want to see running water again, embrace a pine tree, cut my initials in the bark of an aspen, get bit by a mosquito, see a mountain bluebird, find a big blue columbine, get lost in the firs, hike above timberline, sunbathe on snow and eat some ice, climb the rocks and stand in the wind at the top of the world on the peak of Tukuhnikivats.”

WorldWantBigsRunningLostBitsWaterCuttingTreeRocksWindMountainLateBlueEmbraceSnowIceClimbsEverlastingInitialsIrresistibleAugustBarkLureMosquitoesPine TreesRunning WaterTop Of The WorldBluebirdAspensColumbine
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“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.”

MenMaySometimesEarthCertainWishLinesSecretHalfBrotherNewsPainfulSpreadBitterBeing TrueObligedLiving ThingsKindredSpinoza
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