How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
When he had gone halfway around the lake, and had jumped up twenty or so birds, he finally gave up and sat at the base of a tree. He had to work this out, see what he was doing wrong. There were birds there, and he had eyes—he just had to bring the two things together.
Looking wrong, he thought. I am looking wrong. More, more than that I am being wrong somehow—I am doing it the wrong way. Fine—sarcasm came into his thoughts—I know that, thank you. I know I'm doing it wrong. But what is right? (15.11-12)
Brian achieves what he does only through repeated trial and error, and by reexamining his methods again and again. Lesson learned.
Quote #8
There had been many First Days.
First Arrow Day—when he had used thread from his tattered old piece of windbreaker and some pitch from a stump to put slivers of feather on a dry willow shaft and make an arrow that would fly correctly. Not accurately—he never got really good with it—but fly correctly so that if a rabbit or a foolbird sat in one place long enough, close enough, and he had enough arrows, he could hit it. (16.2-3)
Brian really doesn't know what he's doing most of the time—he's just making things up as he goes along, trying the solution that seems to have the best chance of success. And that means that most of what he achieves isn't perfect, just good enough to get him by. That's how it works.