Testament of a Fisherman
By Robert Traver, aka John Voelker
I fish because I love to; because I love the environment
where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful,
and hate the environs where crowds of people are found,
which are invariably ugly; because of all the television
commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing
I thus escape; because in a world where most men seem to spend their
lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless
source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout
do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or
impressed by power, but respond only to quietude or humility
and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going
along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to
waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on
trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude
without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup
always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will
catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as
being so terribly important but because I suspect that so
many of the concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not
nearly so much fun. ~ Robert Traver, aka John Voelker
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