--- title: "2 Alaska Quotes By John McPhee" description: "2 Alaska quotes by John McPhee. Plus more from John McPhee and more Alaska sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wou_842361.jpg" --- > [“If you have to ask that question, you wouldn't understand the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wouldn-t-understand-the-answer/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wou_842361.jpg) > [“When D's cabin caught fire, D was out of the country. Half the town-Christians and drinkers alike-came out to fight the fire and loot the cabin. There were individual piles of loot, and fights over the piles. "That's my pile."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/when-d-s-cabin-caught-fire-d-was-out-of-the-country-half-the-town/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f3/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_when-d-s-cabin-caught-fire-d-was-out-of_2258053.jpg) ## Other authors on Alaska - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-green-51499.jpg) John Green 46 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/john-green/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sarah-palin-83273.jpg) Sarah Palin 15 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/sarah-palin/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-lisa-murkowski-60696.jpg) Lisa Murkowski 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/lisa-murkowski/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b023/author-tom-bodett-91341.jpg) Tom Bodett 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/tom-bodett/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-jon-krakauer-52757.jpg) Jon Krakauer 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/jon-krakauer/) - [John Gourley 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/john-gourley/) ## More by John McPhee > [“For nonfiction projects, ideas are everywhere. They just go by in a ceaseless stream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/for-nonfiction-projects-ideas-are-everywhere-they-just-go-by-in-a/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [In making war with nature, there was risk of loss in winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/in-making-war-with-nature-there-was-risk-of-loss-in-winning/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“I’d much rather watch people do what they do than talk to them across a desk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/i-d-much-rather-watch-people-do-what-they-do-than-talk-to-them-across/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [I used to sit in class and listen to the terms come floating down the room like paper airplanes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/i-used-to-sit-in-class-and-listen-to-the-terms-come-floating-down-the/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“A lead is good not because it dances, fires cannons, or whistles like a train but because it is absolute to what follows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/a-lead-is-good-not-because-it-dances-fires-cannons-or-whistles-like-a/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“If basketball was going to enable Bradley to make friends, to prove that a banker's son is as good as the next fellow, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/if-basketball-was-going-to-enable-bradley-to-make-friends-to-prove/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“Since most callers have until moments before been completely unaware that there are bears in New Jersey, there is often in their voices a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/since-most-callers-have-until-moments-before-been-completely-unaware/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“Incandescent carbon particles, by the tens of millions, leap free of the log and wave like banners, as flame. Several hundred significantly different chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/incandescent-carbon-particles-by-the-tens-of-millions-leap-free-of/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“If you have to ask that question, you wouldn't understand the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wouldn-t-understand-the-answer/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [Almost all Americans would recognize Anchorage, because Anchorage is that part of any city where the city has burst its seams and extruded Colonel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/almost-all-americans-would-recognize-anchorage-because-anchorage-is/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“The doctor listens in with a stethoscope and hears sounds of a warpath Indian drum. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/the-doctor-listens-in-with-a-stethoscope-and-hears-sounds-of-a/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [On a certain scale, it does look like I do a lot. But that’s my day, all day long, sitting there wondering when I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/on-a-certain-scale-it-does-look-like-i-do-a-lot-but-that-s-my-day-all/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [“There is no Weatherfax map on the Stella Lykes—only the barometer, the barographs, the teletypes from NOAA. The radar can see a storm, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/there-is-no-weatherfax-map-on-the-stella-lykes-only-the-barometer-the/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [He (Dave Brower) is an emotionalist in an age of dangerous reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/he-dave-brower-is-an-emotionalist-in-an-age-of-dangerous-reason/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [Taking things from one source is plagiarism; taking things from several sources is research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/taking-things-from-one-source-is-plagiarism-taking-things-from/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/john-mcphee/#itemlist", "name": "2 Alaska Quotes By John McPhee", "numberOfItems": 2, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you have to ask that question, you wouldn't understand the answer.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John McPhee" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wouldn-t-understand-the-answer/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wou_842361.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wou_842361.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/john-mcphee-11840_alaska_if-you-have-to-ask-that-question-you-wou_842361.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you have to ask that question, you wouldn't understand the answer.” — John McPhee", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When D's cabin caught fire, D was out of the country. 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