Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. – Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh [written in the context of aging —t&#9

It is about five o’clock in an evening that the first hour of spring strikes — autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day. – Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart

Fall, not spring, is the time in this region to clear away dead leaves and branches, to renovate the borders, to start new gardens…. And even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. – Elizabeth Lawrence, A Southern Garden

It is a delightful pastime to sit in the pleasant sunshine of autumn, and gazing from this little spot of free earth over such a landscape, let the imagination luxuriate amid the thrilling associations of the scene! – H.T. Tuckerman, “San Marino”