Well, after consuming her second book in one fell swoop I must say that Ruth Stout is an absolute freaking gem.
"As I sit on the hay I marvel a little. It seems only yesterday that the ground was frozen and now it looks like a young, eager forest. Ambitious, but so calm and quiet! Full of great plans, but not in a hurry. Each anxious to do its best, but not trying to outdo the others.
Can all this be true or do I imagine it? Is achievement possible, then, without envy, frustration, rush? I go to walk around the flower beds, one after another. A beauty contest? No, just beauty.
Here, too, are the busy earthworms, behaving as if they didn’t know that the rest of the world was running hog wild. And probably they wouldn’t care, in any case. When they die and go to their Heaven and Saint Peter asks them what they did on earth to deserve admission they will answer with quiet dignity:
'I did my share. Let me pass, please.'"