That's what was great about him. He tried. Not many do.

Most climbers aren't in fact deranged, they're just infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition.

What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?

He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn't a hermit. He did a lot of socializing. Sometimes I think it was like he was storing up company for the times when he knew nobody would be around.

Antarctica has this mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space. It's like going to the moon.

Common sense is no match for the voice of God.

According to the moral absolutism that characterizes McCandless's beliefs, a challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isn't a challenge at all.