'The insects were pinned on the felt in such a way that you could only see the topsides of their wings. But if you know anything about butterflies, you know that the two sides of their wings can be dramatically different. If the top is an opalescent blue, the underside can be a brownish gray with ocher spots. The sharp contrast provides butterflies with a material evolutionary advantage, because when their wings are open they can attract a mate, while when their wings are closed they can disappear on the trunk of a tree. ...There are tens of thousands of butterflies: men and women with two dramatically different colorings - one which serves to attract and the other which serves to camouflage - and which can be switched at the instant with a flit of the wings.'
'Uncompromising purpose and the search for eternal truth have an unquestionable sex appeal for the young and high-minded; but when a person loses the ability to take pleasure in the mundane - in the cigarette on the stoop or the gingersnap in the bath - she has probably put herself in unnecessary danger. ...One must be prepared to fight for one's simple pleasures and to defend them against elegance and erudition and all manner of glamourous enticements.'
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