“McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build a Fire,” “An Odyssey of the North,” “The Wit of Porportuk.” He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense hunger. To resist takes tremendous conscious effort, you don’t dare let your guard down for an instant. The void puts you on edge, makes your movements tentative and clumsy. But as the climb continues, you grow… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough , it is your God-given right to have it...I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic. I thought climbing the Devils… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
But [Everett] and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do. — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
“he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart, that upon returning to civilization, he intended to… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
“Continually question climbing pursuits. Do they draw one back to the climbing community? Or do they lead along the [inner-directed] path? This questioning generates… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
“The boy unmasked the gaping void in Franz's life even as he helped fill it.” — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
I'm intrigued by fanatics - people who are seduced by the promise, or the illusion, of the absolute. — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
I mean, how can you not be a feminist if you have a brain in your head? If you’re not a feminist, then you’re… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image