I was not surprised when some years ago I learnt that Sam, as a young man, before he turned to writing fiction, had wanted to become a philosopher. In all his works, even his lightest humorous sketches, and in his daily life with family and friends, we saw the philosopher in him. But he was not just any philosopher; he was a philosopher whose contemplation led him to look at the bright side of things, to see beauty and goodness and glory even in moments of deepest sadness; and this gave him a infinite capacity for resilience and optimism and good cheer
