I don't see why a changeable man shouldn't get as much enjoyment out of his changes & transformations & transfigurations as a steadfast man gets out of standing still & pegging at the same old monotonous thing all the time. I don't see why a kaleidoscope shouldn't enjoy itself as much as a telescope nor a grindstone have as good a time as a whetstone, nor a barometer as good a time as a yardstick.
- unsent letter to Orion Clemens, 9 Feb. 1879