The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Wisdom of the Sands, translated from French b
A tree which has lost its head will never recover it again, and will survive only as a monument of the ignorance and folly of its Tormentor. – George William Curtis
American democracy must be a failure because it places the supreme authority in the hands of the poorest and most ignorant part of the society. – Thomas Babington Macaulay
[F]lowers… adorn our lanes, fields and fells, and… smile upon us and cheer and bless us in our country rambles…. the lovely blossoms… kiss the clear brooks and mountain wells… – James Rigg, “Preface,” Wild Flower Lyrics and Other Poems, 1897