“We often give painkillers the credit that ought to be given to the passage of time, the belief that they would kill the pain, or the water that accompanied them.”

“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”

“I draw from the well what I like. The well has both mud and water.”

“It has always been a happy thought to me that the creek runs on all night, new every minute, whether I wish it or know it or care, as a closed book on a shelf continues to whisper to itself its own inexhaustible tale. So many things have been shown so to me on these banks, so much light has illumined me by reflection here where the water comes down, that I can hardly believe that this grace never flags, that the pouring from ever-renewable sources is endless, impartial, and free.”

“Just about a month from now I’m set adrift, with a diploma for a sail and lots of nerve for oars.”

“Even dirty water has a bath”

“Without the wetness of your love, the fragrance of your water, or the trickling sounds of your voice I shall always feel thirsty.”

“Come boy, and pour for me a cupOf old Falernian. Fill it upWith wine, strong, sparkling, bright, and clear;Our host decrees no water here.Let dullards drink the Nymph’s pale brew,The sluggish thin their blood with dew.For such pale stuff we have no use;For us the purple grape’s rich juice.Begone, ye chilling water sprite;Here burning Bacchus rules tonight!”

“Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,And therefore I forbid my tears.”

“Camels can go many weeks without drinking anything at all. The notion that they cache water in their humps is pure myth—their humps are made of fat, and water is stored in their body tissues. While other mammals draw water from bloodstreams when faced with dehydration, leading to death by volume shock, camels tap the water in their tissues, keeping their blood volume stable. Though this reduces the camel’s bulk, they can lose up to a third of their body weight with no ill effects, which they can replace astonishingly quickly, as they are able to drink up to forty gallons in a single watering.” (pp.69-70)”

“Do not turn me intorestless watersif you cannot promiseto be my stream.”

“They kissed in the middle of the sidewalk, letting the crowds of people flow around them like water around an island.”

“Just take my hand, lead, dance with me…and I will simply follow the blueness of the water, the white waves rolling free…where the earth beneath my feet and stars make my heart whole again…in long and priceless moments of shared solitude…”