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In the Smokies, over 90 percent of Fraser firs—a noble tree, unique to the southern Appalachian highlands—are sick or dying, from a combination of acid rain and the depredations of a moth called the balsam woolly adelgid. Ask a park official what they are doing about it and he will say, “We are monitoring the situation closely.” For this, read: “We are watching them die.”

— Bill Bryson A Walk in the Woods (1997)

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More quotes by Bill Bryson

Why, it's a perfect little city. If you have never been to Durham, go there at once. Take my car. It's wonderful.

Notes from a Small Island (1995)

Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness.

A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003)

The thing about the Army Corps of Engineers is that they don’t build things very well.

A Walk in the Woods (1997)

There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.

A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003)

Let’s not lose our perspective here. The Smokies achieved their natural splendor without the guidance of a national park service and don’t actually need it now.

A Walk in the Woods (1997)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Bill Bryson (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.