Throughout his career Charles Townes has tended to avoid staying in fields that become too popular; consequently, his work has been characterized by great diversity. This selection of writings, taken from different phases of Towne's professional and personal life, reflects that diversity. Readers will discover brilliant and insightful essays on such wide ranging fields as maser and laser technology, quantum electronics, microwave spectroscopy, and molecules in interstellar space, along with thought-provoking spiritual views on how science and religion come together.