--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They rode out on the north road as would…" description: "\"“They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for El Paso but before they were even quite out of sight of the city they had turned their trag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg" --- # They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for… ![“They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for El Paso but before they were even quite out of sight of the city they had turned their tragic mounts to the west and they rode infatuate and half fond toward the red demise of that day, toward the evening lands and the distant pandemonium…” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg) > ““They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for El Paso but before they were even quite out of sight of the city they had turned their tragic mounts to the west and they rode infatuate and half fond toward the red demise of that day, toward the evening lands and the distant pandemonium of the sun.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a desperate, reckless journey toward inevitable destruction, driven by passion and fatalism. **In simple terms:** A doomed, reckless ride toward disaster. Key Takeaway Beware impulsive pursuits that lead to ruin. Themes destiny recklessness fate Mood dark foreboding intense Type literary poetic When to use this quote - war - adventure - personal crisis - historical travel Key Concepts existentialism nihilism romanticism Questions to Reflect On - What drives people to chase self‑destructive paths? - Can passion be redirected toward constructive goals? A Different Perspective The narrative glorifies tragedy, ignoring possible redemption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“As James entered the El Paso city limits, he began thinking about lyrics to a song that would describe his journey. “I’m just cruise’n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/as-james-entered-the-el-paso-city-limits-he-began-thinking-about/) [Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/) > [You know, I know a lot of lifeguards. Both my parents were lifeguards at a lake in El Paso, Texas. I was a lifeguard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-elliott/you-know-i-know-a-lot-of-lifeguards-both-my-parents-were-lifeguards/) [Sam Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-elliott/) > [I've got to thank the city of El Paso for standing behind me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/i-ve-got-to-thank-the-city-of-el-paso-for-standing-behind-me/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [“I'm a picture of abject fear. If I had my choice between flying to El Paso or getting a colonoscopy, I'd have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/i-m-a-picture-of-abject-fear-if-i-had-my-choice-between-flying-to-el/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [Yes, Horus said. I remember this place. It’s El Paso, I told him. Unless you went out for Mexican Food, you’ve never been here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/yes-horus-said-i-remember-this-place-it-s-el-paso-i-told-him-unless/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Those were hard times, but I loved living there. I would walk on the tracks, hopping, skipping. I enjoyed the neighborhood, I enjoyed El…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/those-were-hard-times-but-i-loved-living-there-i-would-walk-on-the/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [“MY PROCESS I got bullied quite a bit as a kid, so I learned how to take a punch and how to put up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-neese/my-process-i-got-bullied-quite-a-bit-as-a-kid-so-i-learned-how-to/) [Zach Neese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-neese/) > [“If it’s coin operated in El Paso, you can bet the Cartel owns it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-scott/if-it-s-coin-operated-in-el-paso-you-can-bet-the-cartel-owns-it/) [Anson Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-scott/) > [“La verdadera amistad, pensaban, resiste el paso del tiempo, es desinteresada y generosa, no pide nada a cambio, sólo lealtad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/la-verdadera-amistad-pensaban-resiste-el-paso-del-tiempo-es/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [The thing about going back to El Paso, it's overwhelming sometimes. I look at the support that I get and the success that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/the-thing-about-going-back-to-el-paso-it-s-overwhelming-sometimes-i/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [If you've ever driven across Texas, you know how different one area of the state can be from another. Take El Paso. It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/if-you-ve-ever-driven-across-texas-you-know-how-different-one-area-of/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [I moved from New York to El Paso in 2015, just before my senior year. I was super nervous. My mom, she's in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/i-moved-from-new-york-to-el-paso-in-2015-just-before-my-senior-year-i/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [ \[My grandparents\] were from Texas. El Paso. White trash. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/my-grandparents-were-from-texas-el-paso-white-trash/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [It all started in a local park in El Paso called Madeleine Park. At a ditch, a very small ditch, that everybody used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-bixler-zavala/it-all-started-in-a-local-park-in-el-paso-called-madeleine-park-at-a/) [Cedric Bixler-Zavala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-bixler-zavala/) > [I was born in '72, and my dad was county judge of El Paso from '82 to '86. He was just as independent as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beto-o-rourke/i-was-born-in-72-and-my-dad-was-county-judge-of-el-paso-from-82-to-86/) [Beto O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beto-o-rourke/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More El paso quotes > [“As James entered the El Paso city limits, he began thinking about lyrics to a song that would describe his journey. “I’m just cruise’n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-swann/as-james-entered-the-el-paso-city-limits-he-began-thinking-about/) [Joyce Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-swann/) > [It all started in a local park in El Paso called Madeleine Park. At a ditch, a very small ditch, that everybody used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-bixler-zavala/it-all-started-in-a-local-park-in-el-paso-called-madeleine-park-at-a/) [Cedric Bixler-Zavala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-bixler-zavala/) > [ \[My grandparents\] were from Texas. El Paso. White trash. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/my-grandparents-were-from-texas-el-paso-white-trash/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I moved from New York to El Paso in 2015, just before my senior year. I was super nervous. My mom, she's in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/i-moved-from-new-york-to-el-paso-in-2015-just-before-my-senior-year-i/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [If you've ever driven across Texas, you know how different one area of the state can be from another. Take El Paso. It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/if-you-ve-ever-driven-across-texas-you-know-how-different-one-area-of/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [The thing about going back to El Paso, it's overwhelming sometimes. I look at the support that I get and the success that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/the-thing-about-going-back-to-el-paso-it-s-overwhelming-sometimes-i/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [“La verdadera amistad, pensaban, resiste el paso del tiempo, es desinteresada y generosa, no pide nada a cambio, sólo lealtad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/la-verdadera-amistad-pensaban-resiste-el-paso-del-tiempo-es/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“If it’s coin operated in El Paso, you can bet the Cartel owns it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-scott/if-it-s-coin-operated-in-el-paso-you-can-bet-the-cartel-owns-it/) [Anson Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-scott/) > [“MY PROCESS I got bullied quite a bit as a kid, so I learned how to take a punch and how to put up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-neese/my-process-i-got-bullied-quite-a-bit-as-a-kid-so-i-learned-how-to/) [Zach Neese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-neese/) > [Those were hard times, but I loved living there. I would walk on the tracks, hopping, skipping. I enjoyed the neighborhood, I enjoyed El…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/those-were-hard-times-but-i-loved-living-there-i-would-walk-on-the/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [Yes, Horus said. I remember this place. It’s El Paso, I told him. Unless you went out for Mexican Food, you’ve never been here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/yes-horus-said-i-remember-this-place-it-s-el-paso-i-told-him-unless/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I'm a picture of abject fear. If I had my choice between flying to El Paso or getting a colonoscopy, I'd have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/i-m-a-picture-of-abject-fear-if-i-had-my-choice-between-flying-to-el/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [I've got to thank the city of El Paso for standing behind me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/i-ve-got-to-thank-the-city-of-el-paso-for-standing-behind-me/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [You know, I know a lot of lifeguards. Both my parents were lifeguards at a lake in El Paso, Texas. I was a lifeguard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-elliott/you-know-i-know-a-lot-of-lifeguards-both-my-parents-were-lifeguards/) [Sam Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-elliott/) > [I was born in '72, and my dad was county judge of El Paso from '82 to '86. He was just as independent as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beto-o-rourke/i-was-born-in-72-and-my-dad-was-county-judge-of-el-paso-from-82-to-86/) [Beto O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beto-o-rourke/) Browse all 57 El paso quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for El Paso but before they were even quite out of sight of the city they had turned their tragic mounts to the west and they rode infatuate and half fond toward the red demise of that day, toward the evening lands and the distant pandemonium of the sun.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would-parties-bound-for-el-paso/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "El paso" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would-parties-bound-for-el-paso/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/cormac-mccarthy-181_el-paso_they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would_2743533.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They rode out on the north road as would parties bound for El Paso but before they were even quite out of…” — Cormac McCarthy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They rode out on the north...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would-parties-bound-for-el-paso/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-rode-out-on-the-north-road-as-would-parties-bound-for-el-paso/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```