Sackful of Sayings No. 3

1.  The flesh of life is subject to all sorts of corruption, but it is nevertheless the substance of renewal. It should not be thrown out too soon.

2.  The trouble with promises of futurity and passive grace lies in the illusion of reason; it is always better to scrape away the rotten bits and enjoy the pleasure that remains.

3.  A torrent is a  healthy and vigorous mountain stream.  Rippling brooks, dimpling streams, and gurgling rivulets are hardly worth the effort.

4.  Some rivers reveal their true strength in the combination of eddies and secret whirlpools.  The illusion of the current running backward is the real promise of depth.

5.  We sat amidst the twisted and exposed roots of a forest above an irregular coast on a Mediterranean island and felt the years  made smooth by the wind.

6.  Eccentric princes, kings deprived of their health and realms, and exiled poets did not choose these stony cliffs but found consolation in olives, walnuts, and lonely winters.

7.  Unlike tourists we waited patiently for the season to pass, and walked the mountain trails alone.

8.  Cheese, grapes, bread and wine of the region and in their season, seated by the open fire; and knowing how to change from bus to bus in the morning fog--the people shift so you can slide between.  This is life.

9.  Once the stars start to sparkle, the night is incapable of deceit.  Even the creases and furrows on the moon’s face reflect the hidden worries of eternity.  Only when the disk persists to the afternoon need one fear the secret machinations of the atmosphere.

10.  Why were the photographs in Italian shops printed in blue ink and cut into blue ovals?