The children are innocent until proven guilty. For their sake, not ours, we must soldier on, muddling our way toward frugality, simplicity, liberty, community, until some kind of sane and rational balance is achieved between our ability to love and our cockeyed ambition to conquer and dominate everything in sight. No wonder the galaxies recede from us in every direction, fleeing at velocities that approach the speed of light. They are frightened. We humans are the Terror of the Universe.

Showing his sense of humor he left a message for anyone who asked about his final words: "No comment. It's hard for me to stay serious for more than half a page at a time. "I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.

His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. Edward Paul Abbey (January 29 1927 – March 14 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues criticism of public land policies and anarchist political views.