Wise words for the good life

Helen Nearing and her husband, Scott, were homesteader-heroes to 1960s counter-culturalists seeking simplicity and frugality in what is called "intentional living." First published by Schocken Books in 1980, this collection of Nearing's cherished quotes on the "good life" from the likes of Horace, Virgil, Spenser, Thoreau, Jefferson and numerous less-luminous others, is organized into themes such as the rewards of country living, weather and seasons, money and true wealth, the woman's place, the male point of view, and the evening of life. An anonymous sample: "Better a dry morsel and quietness therewith, than a house full of feasting, with strife." Quoted material is not fully cited. No subject index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Helen Nearing was a collector of words. As one of the leading twentieth-century practitioners of self-sufficient living, Helen Nearing found illumination and solace in the sayings of predecessors who had sought their own versions of "the good life." By grouping the wisdom of the ages into categories that are quirky yet eminently sensible, she brings to life the contemporary relevance of some of the most profound chroniclers of our rural heritage:Horace on simplicityVirgil on farmingSpenser on solitudeThoreau on povertyJefferson on the evening of lifeAs well as being a gleaner of quotations, Helen was the creator of her own "wise words." Her book Loving and Leaving the Good Life was described by May Sarton as "a tonic for any young person dismayed by the state of the world, and a drink at the fountain of youth for any old person depressed or discouraged." Helen's book Simple Food for the Good Life was described by Health Science as "far more than a mere cookbook. It belongs to the category of classics, destined to be remembered through the ages."