Thanks to David Kanigan I now know the source of a quote that I have been listening to for nearly 30 years:
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
The source is said to be the last words of the Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot. The full quote is as follows:
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
How wonderful is that?
I have lived with those first words for so long, used brilliantly by the late Pete Namlook. It is such a great feeling to finally be able to place them.