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Old age Quote by Robert Penn Warren

“I was headed out down a long bone-white road, straight as a string and smooth as glass and glittering and wavering in the heat and humming under the tires like a plucked nerve. I was doing seventy-five but I never seemed to catch up with the pool which seemed to be over the road just this side of…” quote by Robert Penn Warren
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““I was headed out down a long bone-white road, straight as a string and smooth as glass and glittering and wavering in the heat and humming under the tires like a plucked nerve. I was doing seventy-five but I never seemed to catch up with the pool which seemed to be over the road just this side of the horizon. Then, after a while, the sun was in my eyes, for I was driving west. So I pulled the sun screen down and squinted and put the throttle to the floor. And kept on moving west. For West is where we all plan to go some day. It is where you go when the land gives out and the old-field pines encroach. It is where you go when you get the letter saying: Flee, all is discovered. It is where you go when you look down at the blade in your hand and the blood on it. It is where you go when you are told that you are a bubble on the tide of empire. It is where you go when you hear that thar's gold in them-thar hills. It is where you go to grow up with the country. It is where you go to spend your old age. Or it is just where you go. It was just where I went.””

Robert Penn Warren

About This Quote

Source Novel: All the King's Men, 1946

The narrator describes a relentless westward drive, using the road as a metaphor for escape, destiny, and the endless pursuit of an uncertain future.

In simple terms: A journey west symbolizes searching for hope or fleeing danger.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the journey, even when destination is unclear.

Themes

escape destiny search journey uncertainty

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

narrative philosophical

When to use this quote

  • road trips
  • life transitions
  • fleeing crisis
  • seeking new beginnings

Key Concepts

Western myth existential longing road as metaphor

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does “west” represent in your life?
  • How do you confront the unknown?
A Different Perspective

Westward may be idealized but can also lead to isolation or false hope.

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