And, of course, people are interested only in themselves. If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen.

I wonder why it is that when I plan a route too carefully, it goes to pieces, whereas if I blunder along in blissful ignorance aimed in a fancied direction I get through with no trouble.

Perhaps it takes courage to raise children.

I do want to make it very convincing. And the best way to do that is to put most of it in dialogue.

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policies and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.

Best thing is to get the words down every day. And it is time to start now.

The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It’s as though nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California.