One-sentence essays

An aphorism is to an essay as a haiku is to a sonnet. It delivers the message in as few words as possible. Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was a master of these one-sentence essays. Even in his longer work, acclaimed books like Desert Solitaire, readers might be tempted to underline choice sentences here and there, those clever statements that pack a punch in very few words.

Just before his death, Abbey compiled many of his best one-liners into the book A Voice Crying in the Wilderness. Some of those one-liners were probably written on his death bed just for this book. Reading them, one can switch moods in an instant, from laughter to anger (with Abbey or at him, as the case may be), from compassion to resolve.

They are a mixed lot, even when divided by category. Some examples:

On government and politics: "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."

On education: "The best thing about graduating from the university was that I finally had time to sit on a log and read a good book."

On music: "Music clouds the intellect but clarifies the heart."

On women: "Girls, like flowers, bloom but once. But once is enough."

Abbey is best remembered for his ruthless defense of the natural world, especially the American desert (which helps explains the title of the book). Many of his aphorisms touch on this subject, although they may sometimes seem contradictory, such as: "Nature, like Maimonides said, is mainly a good place to throw beer cans on Sunday afternoons." More characteristic is this one: "If wilderness is outlawed, only outlaws can save wilderness." Or this one: "Phoenix, Arizona: an oasis of ugliness  in the midst of a beautiful wasteland."

This may be the best Edward Abbey book I've read. It packs a lifetime of thought into barely a hundred pages.