“As they say in South America, everyone knows that they are going to die; yet nobody believes it. Human lapses of this kind, enable us to fish, fornicate, overeat, and bet on the horses.”

“It is not given to every soul pining for the natural world to be a naturalist. Most of us require a game to play, whether hunting, birdwatching, angling, or sailing, and each creates superb opportunities to observe the weather, the land under changing light, the movement of water.”

“The Bible tells us to watch and to listen. Something like this suggests what fishing ought to be about: using the ceremony of our sport and passion to arouse greater reverberations within ourselves.”

“There are always a few anglers, blessed with genius and inspiration: towering casters, leadfooted, deep river waders, anglers with astounding vision, and so on. But the angler who accepts both his gifts and limitations, who recognizes the importance of keeping his fly in the water, who abjures tackle tinkering once he reaches the river, and who strives to fish coherently throughout the day will usually, finally, succeed.”